Revealed
by emzhao07010
Summary: The Light realizes that the only way to get at the Justice League is to kill their proteges. What will they do? Where will they go? And what happens when Robin falls in love with a certain alien, but knows that they cannot be together? (On hiatus until further notice)
1. Chapter 1: The Plan

"These children are a threat," Vandal Savage said. "They single-handedly defeated the Justice League using almost nothing but their wits and a bit of their powers."

Several months ago, he and the rest of the Light had the entire Justice League under control. Everything was going perfect. They had the entire Justice League under control. Then Young Justice showed up and defeated them, bringing them back to their senses.

"It's not fair!" Klarion whined. "How did they do it? Mere children against older and more experienced adults?"

"They may be weaker, but they are smarter," said Vandal Savage. "Taking them under our control would be foolish. The League can easily defeat them. They can easily destroy us. Unless..." A grim smile filled his face.

" Unless what?" Sportsmaster asked irritably. " We've tried almost everything, and somehow our plans backfire on us." There were a lot of nods and angry murmurs coming from everyone else in the room.

"Ah, yes," Savage said. "But what if the League is distracted and unfocused? They'll be easier to defeat, more vulnerable."

"And how do we do that?" Psimon asked. "Would you like me to pry into their minds and see their weakness?"

"No," said Savage. "It's already obvious. There's no need to hurt them physically. Emotionally will hurt a lot more, will linger a lot longer than a fresh wound. Mental scars will be harder to heal, making them easier to defeat."

A grim smile appeared over his scarred face. "We need to destroy their proteges."


	2. Chapter 2: To Today

**TODAY**

"Whew, did you see how angry Slade's face was when he realized he lost to us?" Cyborg said as he leaned back onto the couch.

The Teen Titans had just come back a successful mission of defeating Slade. Now they were all just kicking back and relaxing.

"Robin!" Starfire flew over to Robin. "Are you happy we finally defeated him, after working so hard?"

"Yeah," he nodded. He stared at her and sighed. He wished he could be with her forever. Maybe start a new life together-

He pushed those thoughts away. No. She wasn't his, and never will be. He knew he couldn't be with the Teen Titans forever. One day he had to return to his previous life before the Teen Titans. He might never see her again. So there was no point in doing what he wanted to do. He genuinely loved her, and after Tokyo, he finally admitted his feelings, and after that, they've officially been dating.

"Dude!" Beast Boy's eyes lit up. "Since our team is doing good, whaddya say we form a junior Justice League?"

Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, and Speedy exchanged glances. There _was_ kinda a junior Justice League. It was Young Justice, but the team had to break apart after what happened months ago.

 _Flashback_

 _"Party night!" Kidflash whooped. He raced around Mount Justice, throwing confetti around._

 _Red Arrow, who joined the party, (After much begging and puppy-dog eyes from his brothers, Robin and Kidflash) glared at him, with sparkly glitter settling into his hair from the confetti. "Whose brilliant idea was it to give Kidflash soda during New Year's Eve?!" he snapped. "Where did he even get the confetti?!"_

 _A guilty expression came over Zatanna's face. "I was drinking this bottle of cola," she murmured sheepishly, "And he asked for several sips. I thought there was no harm done."_

 _"You let him have sugar?!" spluttered Robin, doubling over in laughter. "You really are new at this."_

 _Roy scowled at Zatanna."Last time we gave him sugar", he growled, "He kept singing songs by Justin Bieber at the top of his lungs while running all around Wayne Manor, and kept sweeping me and Robin off our feet, and made Alfred spill his tea. We had to climb onto the chandelier to escape from getting knocked over. We still have the pictures to prove it!"_

 _"Woohoo!" cheered Kidflash, running around at 175 miles per hour with multicolored glitter all over himself and the floor. He threw some on Superboy, who scowled at him and unsuccessfully tried to brush off the confetti, and then swung Kaldur off his feet, who landed flat on his back. "Remind me to thank Uncle Barry for letting me borrow the confetti for New Year's Eve!"_

 _"I'm going to have some words with Flash about letting Kid borrow some stuff," Roy muttered, who was covered in so much shiny confetti that he now resembled a disco ball._

 _"You said it,"grumbled Superboy, his hair looking like an art project had thrown up all over him._

 _"Enough Baywatch," Artemis teased, her long blond hair covered in sparkly paper. "You've been running around the Cave throwing confetti for an hour. Come over to the kitchen. M'gaan's baking a cake. Her cooking has improved significantly."_

 _"Alright!" Kidflash whooped. "C'mon, Rob!" He picked Robin up and carried him bridal-style, as he zoomed over to the kitchen._

 _"Hey!" Robin protested._

 _"C'mon Rob, you're beginning to look seriously skinny," Wally teased. "You need some seriously unhealthy junk food."_

 _"Not so fast, Wally!" M'gaan laughed as she telekinetically lifted the cake from the oven, with Rocket helping. "It still needs to cool down!"_

 _Suddenly, the zeta tube announced Batman's arrival._

 _He raised an eyebrow under his mask as he heard Wally exclaim "Ouch!" as M'gaan slapped his hand with a spoon with her levitation as he tried to tear off a piece of the cake._

 _Robin ran over excitedly. "Br-Batman! Wanna celebrate?" ( Everyone on the Team knew Batman and Robin's secret identity by now)_

 _"Yeah, Bats!" Wally exclaimed. "You're always so serious! It's New Year's Eve! It's time to kick back and enjoy yourself!"_

 _"There's no time for celebrating," Batman answered coldly. "I've got some news. Bad news."_

 _"If this is another covert mission for the team, we're ready," Aqualad said, his smiling face turning serious._

 _"This is no mission for all of you." Batman answered. " Martian Manhunter picked up something from Red Arrow while he and Miss Martian were cleansing his mind from any Cadmus programming. While digging around in his brain, he discovered a deadly, sinister plan from Vandal Savage. The Light had one last idea on how to defeat the League. But instead of destroying us from the outside, he decided to destroy us from the inside, to leave us vulnerable and distracted. They decided to destroy us emotionally by-" he paused, his eyes narrowing, "By killing all of you first."_

 _The Team's eyes widened. "D-destroy us first?" stammered Robin._

 _"No way!" yelped Kidflash. "What did we ever do to upset them- or wait, of course," he added, when Superboy and Rocket shot him a "duh!" expression._

 _"Batman, we're ready," said Kaldur. "We'll keep our guard up, in case if Savage ever bothers to show up in the Mountain."_

 _"That's too big a risk," Batman said sternly. "Martian Manhunter also learned that not only Vandal Savage will kill you all, but the entire Light: Queen Bee, Lex Luthor, Ra al Ghul, and more. The League held a council meeting about this, and we've reached a decision."_

 _"If you're talking about guarding us 24/7 and not letting us accompanying you guys during patrol, I'm-"Artemis snapped, but then Red Tornado interrupted by saying" That would be the most easiest solution, but we knew that sometimes even that won't be enough. So, we've reached to a different conclusion."_

 _"Which is...?" M'gaan and the others looked at Batman curiously. He hesitated, which made the Team suspicious. Batman never hesitated before._

 _Speaking with the same commanding, cold tone, yet now tingued with a hint of sadness, Batman said,"We're sending you away."_


	3. Chapter 3: Send Away

_Flashback Continued (During New Year's Eve, right after the Team defeated the Justice League)_

" _S-send us a-away?!_ " _Robin stammered._

 _"No way!" Kid flash protested, his voice filled with hurt. "Are you disowning us? We've been your sidekicks for years! We-"_

 _"Enough," Batman ordered. "We're not kicking you out. We're putting the entire Team into hiding, where the Light and Savage can't find you."_

 _"W-we won't be sent away forever, will we?" M'gaan asked in a really small voice._

 _"No, just until it's safe and Savage's plans are thwarted." Batman explained coldly. "Until then, you're all going into hiding. Superboy, Miss Martian, Artemis, Rocket, and Zatanna are staying above the Watchtower. No zeta's tubing out onto the Earth. You five won't go anywhere except stay on the Watchtower, with at least four Leaguers staying on there."_

 _"Oh, come on!" Rocket protested. "We can take care of ourselves! We've been on missions more times than we can count, and almost nothing bad has happened!"_

 _"You can't make us stay on the Watchtower forever!" Superboy growled. "I'll go crazy!"_

 _"Batman, wait!" Aqualad suddenly spoke up. "What about me, Robin, and Kidflash? Where will you send us?"_

 _"Yeah!" Kidflash protested. "Are you leaving us to fend for ourselves or something?_

 _"No," Batman answered coldly again. "You three sidekicks are the most targeted by Vandal Savage, since you three were responsible for creating the Team in the first place. We'll have to take more extreme measures. We're sending each of you to different cities, across the United States."_

 _"But what's going to happen to us there?" Robin asked in a small voice like M'gaan's. "What're we supposed to do?"_

 _"You'll get your answers now," Batman said as the zeta tube announced the arrival of Doctor Fate, Flash, Aquaman, and Green Arrow._

 _"You need someone to accompany you," Batman said. "Perhaps we can get a League member to-"_

 _"I'll go," Red Arrow interrupted. He stood up straight boldly. "I want to watch over my little brothers, to make sure they're safe. They mean the world to me."_

 _"Good luck, Roy," Green Arrow spoke up. He hesitated, and then he said quite sadly, "I'll miss you. But you don't have to do this."_

 _Roy hesitated too, then said tentatively, "I'll miss you too. But, I do need to do this. I can't just sit on the sidelines wondering what's going to happen to my brothers and hope they're alright."_

 _Doctor Fate held up three necklaces. "You'll each be wearing these." he said._

 _"A piece of bling?" Kid flash wrinkled his nose. "Isn't that a girl's thing to wear?"_

 _"No one going to notice," Doctor Fate explained patiently. "This is a glamour charm. It's created to change your appearance, to disguise the wearer as a completely different person." He then slipped the charms over Robin's, Aqualad's, and Kid flash's heads._

 _Superboy blinked. "Um Fate," he spoke up, "They still look exactly the same."_

 _"Just for now." Nabu answered. But to everyone else you'll all look completely different. No one will suspect a thing. Why don't you go look in the mirror, and see your reflection, before you change in front of our eyes?"_

 _The trio glanced over to their reflection in the mirror. The rest of the Team followed their gaze. Their eyes widened._

 _"I'll look like that?!" spluttered Kidflash. "No way! What happened to my costume and hair?! And my eyes are blue! They're supposed to be green!"'_

 _"I look ridiculous!" yelped Robin. He patted his hair. "My hair look like a hedgehog! And my costume look even more like a traffic light!"_

 _Aqualad didn't say anything. He was speechless. He just stared at his reflection in the mirror._

 _"Hey Aqualad, what's-" began Artemis but then she glanced at his reflection in the mirror. Her eyes grew to the size of saucers. "Oh. My. God."_

 _"What's all the fuss about?" Zatanna asked as everyone else looked at his reflection. Their jaws dropped open, and their eyes grew even bigger. "Oh my...Kaldur...you're..."_

 _Standing in the reflection of the mirror, was a completely different, unrecognizable Aqualad. They could not see any similarities between the two, unlike Robin and Kid flash._

 _"Is...is that really me?" Aqualad gaped._

 _"Your appearance had to be altered the most." Aquaman explained patiently, putting a hand on his protege's shoulder. "Since you're team leader, we had to disguise you the most, since the Light may try to kill you first."_

 _"What about me?" Red Arrow protested. "Don't I get a glamour charm or something?"_

 _"No," Green Arrow was saying, but Roy noticed him snickering. His eyes narrowed. "What's so funny?"_

 _"You'll just be changing your hairstyle and costume back to..."Green Arrow said, holding up his old Speedy uniform, minus the hat._

 _Roy's eyes bugged out of his head. "No way!" he spluttered. "I'm not wearing that! No way I am ever going back to Speedy!"_

 _"Aw, come on, Roy," pleaded Robin. "We miss you as Speedy. Can you be Speedy one last time for us? Pleeeeeeaaaase?!" Then he and Wally gave Roy the sad puppy-dog eye look._

 _Roy groaned. Somehow their puppy eyes were irresistible. "Fine," he grumbled. "But will you stop laughing!" he snapped at Wally, who guffawing and doubling over holding his stomach._

 _"I can't help it!" Wally giggled. "You, back to being Speedy! I don't think I'll be able to take you seriously!"_

 _"Those glamour charms will also change your voices." Doctor Fate explained again. "Not now, but in a few hours. You'll get to the different cities by zeta tubing."_

 _The group spent the last half hour saying goodbye._

 _"Farewell, my king," Kaldur said sadly. "I'll miss you, and fighting at your side with the Team."_

 _"I'll miss you too," Aquaman said, putting a hand on his shoulder again. "But you will be back, my little sidekick. This is only temporary. We will see each other again."_

 _"Goodbye, kiddo," Flash was saying to Wally. He was trying to remain cheerful, but he couldn't hold back a sad tone. "It was nice having you around the house, and another speedster racing by my side."_

 _"I'll miss racing around Central City stopping baddies at your side," Wally said wistfully, a sad smile on his face. "Tell Mom, Dad, Aunt Iris, Grandma, and Grandpa that I said goodbye and that I wish them the best. And that I'll be back in a flash!" The last comment bought grins to both of the speedster's faces._

 _Robin jumped up and hugged Batman around the chest. "I'll miss you, Tati,"(Dad) he said sadly. "When can I ever see you again?"_

 _Bruce knelt down and hugged him back, while running his hand threw Dick's ebony hair one last time. "This won't be forever." he soothed. "You will see me again. I'll miss you too, my little bird. You helped me stay human and realize there still some things worth fighting for?"_

 _Robin sniffed and buried his head in his chest. Bruce murmured soothing words in Romanian while patting is back._

 _"Bye, Kaldur," Rocket said, smiling. "Go and kick some bad guys butt, will you? Your appearance may look different, but your heart and passion will still remain the same."_

 _Kaldur smiled and ruffled her hair while hugging her. "I'll keep my eyes open," he said. "I may not have my water bearers, but I can still fight, and I'll still be Aqualad."_

 _Artemis kissed Wally and hugged him. "Go and have a good time, Baywatch," she said. "Just don't come waltzing into the new city wearing swim trunks as a first impression."_

 _Wally laughed as he embraced her. "I'll be in my costume full time," he said, "So no more wardrobe malfunctions, although I am going to miss being Wally West."_

 _"Be safe, Robin," Zatanna whispered in his ear while hugging him. "I'm sorry things didn't work out between us."_

 _"It's alright," Robin said comfortably, "Zatara may be overprotective about not letting you date, but that just shows he cares about you deeply."_

 _"Goodbye," M'gaan sobbed while in a group hug. "The Cave and the Watchtower are going to be a lot quieter without a certain speedster and bird arguing and playing together, and a wonderful leader who led us on so many missions."_

 _"We'll be fine, M'gaan," comforted Kaldur. "And we will come back. We'll make sure of it."_

 _"Farewell," Connor said sadly. "You guys especially Wally, can be annoying sometimes, but you can also make me laugh. Please come back in one piece."_

 _"Count on it," Wally grinned. "Keep channeling that anger, dude, and hopefully when we return, we'll find the Watchtower and the Cave still intact when we return!"_

 _"You'll still have the same names," Doctor Fate explained. "If you all change your personality, there'll be no need to change your costume and name. If you change who you are, Savage will have second thoughts about killing you, and decide that there will be no need to eliminate you all if you don't pay attention to the Light. The glamour charms will also disappear when you zeta-tube to a different city. They'll just be invisible, so there'll be no awkward questions and no need to feel self-conscious. If the charms do ever turn visible, it means that Savage and the Light has found you, and you four will need to flee and come to the Watchtower as possible, since there'll be no one at Mount Justice, with Superboy and Miss Martian staying on the Watchtower. You must flee at any cost if the glamour charms suddenly turn visible. You must also be discreet about this. No one can know who you truly are."_

 _"Acknowledged," said Aqualad, fiddling with the charm on his neck._

 _"Yes! So there's still a possibility we can return!" Kid flash cheered._

 _"While trying to run away from a really powerful enemy. The reunion will be so not whelmed." Robin muttered._

 _"Time to go," Aquaman suddenly spoke up. Batman typed a few requests on the keyboard so the zeta-tube will send them all to different locations._

 _Roy hesitated, then flung his arms around his mentor. Green Arrow just stood there, stunned for a moment, and then hugged him back. "Farewell, Roy," he muttered sadly."I'll miss the cheerful, young Speedy even more."_

 _"And I'll miss you too," said Roy. "To be honest, you were a good mentor, and I miss hanging out with you shooting at bad guys with arrows. Those were wonderful times when I didn't have a care in the world."_

 _The four original sidekicks stood in front of the zeta-tube platforms. They managed to smile and raise a hand in farewell before the yellow light engulfed them and they vanished, just as the computer said their names._

 _The girls burst into tears. Superboy looked sadly at the zeta platform, remembering the day when he first met the sidekicks. Thanks to Robin, Aqualad, and Kid flash, Young Justice had formed. Without them, Superboy would still be at Cadmus waiting to take down Superman. Miss Martian would have no reason to be on Earth, and Martian Manhunter may had sent her back to Mars to endure being a white Martian. And Artemis probably never would've become a hero in the first place. She could probably end up like her mom, Huntress, or her sister, Cheshire._

 _Flash's lower lip trembled, while Aquaman gazed at the zeta platform like Superboy, Green Arrow had a glum, wistful look his face while muttering something about Roy always being there for him._

 _Batman had already started to walk away, but Miss Martian could read his emotions that were radiating off him._

 ** _"I didn't read his mind, I swear," she said telepathically. "But I could feel all the emotions going off him. He really loves Dick, and he's devastated that he had to send him away. He misses him already."_**

 ** _"I miss Wally already," Artemis sobbed. "Just as we became a couple, he left."_**

 ** _"I hope they'll be safe," Superboy said, sadness filling his tone in their telepathic conversation._**

 _"Come," Batman suddenly said. His tone was still dark, but they could hear sadness in his voice. "It's time to go back to the Watchtower with you all. That includes the Team, to keep you all safe."_

 _Everyone paused,(Including the mentors and Batman) looking at the zeta-tube where the original sidekicks had gone through, before they slowly and reluctantly made their way to the Watchtower in space._


	4. Chapter 4: Found

"Hey! It's my turn!"

Robin turned around in his chair and couldn't help but smile. Cyborg and Beast Boy had each other's hands on the same video game controller, and they were playing Tug Of War with it.

"It's my game, so it's my turn!" Cyborg shouted, yanking the controller towards his direction as hard as he could.

"Dude, I was in the middle of an exciting round!" Beast Boy snapped, tugging it back.

Same old, same old. Robin was used to them arguing over video games. They did it a lot, so it didn't bother him that much.

Raven was in the corner meditating. Usually a really loud argument would've broken a person's concentration, but just like Robin, she was used to it by now.

"Robin!"

Robin looked up at the sound of Starfire's sweet voice. "Oh, hey, Star."

"I heard that there was a festival at the park today! How about we go, just us?"

Immediately, Robin could tell that it was a date. He felt like he needed to get more paperwork done, but he could never stand it when she was disappointed. "Sure, Star. Do you want me to get anything?"

Starfire let out an excited glee and rushed into a different room. "Marvelous! Let me get my homemade Gorbenslosh for our lunch!"

Robin gagged as the image of the odd colored goo entered his brain. He had no idea why Tamaranians liked them, or how they could stand them.

He turned around in his chair, facing Cyborg and Beast Boy, who were still arguing and tugging on the same video game controller.

"C'mon, Beast Boy, give me that!" Cyborg shouted.

"Dude! What did you not understand about being in the middle of an exciting round!" Beast Boy yelled back.

Suddenly, black magic encased the game controller and lifted it away from them. Both of them cried, "Hey!" at the same time.

"ENOUGH WITH THE ARGUING. I CAN'T MEDITATE WITH YOU TWO ACTING LIKE IDIOTS." Instantly, Robin could tell that it was Raven.

Cyborg and Beast Boy grumbled, but they didn't yell at each other anymore.

"Robin, I am ready now!" Starfire entered the room wearing a large floppy sun hat that fell across her eyes. She carried a lunchbox in her hand. Robin could tell that it was Gorbenslosh.

"Let's go!" she grabbed his hand and whisked him out of Titan's Tower.

He sighed. She loved him so much. He did too, a lot, but there was no way they could be together forever. He fingered his glamour charm under his shirt. One day he had to return to his previous life. He would have to break up with her and might not ever see her again.

He hadn't even meant to fall in love. When they met, he _did_ have feelings for her, but he kept denying it, because there wasn't a point in dating someone you couldn't be with forever. After Tokyo(From Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo) he just couldn't deny his feelings for her any longer, and he and Starfire kissed in the rain.

He just hoped that when the time came for him to leave, she would understand and that she wouldn't be too heartbroken.

The sound of people chattering startled him back into the present. They had reached the park.

Starfire was right about the festival. There were tents set up filled with food, antiques, and other goods.

A boy's laugh caught his attention. He turned around. The laugh had come from a boy who was holding hands with his father. They were chatting with each other, and laughing.

The sight of it reminded him of something. He missed Bruce. It had been months since they had last seen or heard from each other. He hoped that Bruce was doing well without him. He knew how overprotective he was of him sometimes.

"Which tent would you like look at first?" Starfire's voice snapped him back to reality.

"Um...the ones with the food." It was because he had no appetite for her Gorbenslosh, but he knew she wouldn't let him go hungry. "Uh, Star, I kinda need to need to use the bathroom," Robin said nervously, beginning to feel sick to his stomach as he heard the slimy substance jiggle. He then sprinted over to the bathroom, and, after locking himself in one of the stalls, he promptly threw up, feeling the bile rise from his stomach to his throat. Starfire's Tamaranian foods never failed to make him loose his appetite. As he continued to retch up his breakfast, a memory rose up from the back of his brain. He remembered the first few times Miss Martian had baked, and she failed so bad at those first times that the entire Team stayed in the bathroom for the entire day, and took hours to clean up the mess. He smiled as he remembered Wally, who'd eaten the most, had still been throwing up the next day. When Batman and Black Canary came into the Cave, Wally had just opened his mouth to ask them a question, but instead as soon as he opened his mouth, he doubled over and vomited all over their shoes. The two League members had not been amused. Black Canary had slapped Wally on the cheek like a mother slapping her misbehaving child, and Batman glared at him that set a new world record. His unamused glare was enough to wipe the smile off the Joker's face without hesitation. Robin, Artemis, and the others had laughed themselves silly at Wally, and his face had turned the color of his fiery red hair. This memory comforted Robin and reminded him of wonderful times, but it also made him sad at the same time too. He missed Connor, M'gaan, Artemis, Zatanna, and Racquelle so much that it was like a constant heartache. He couldn't even hang out with Wally or Kaldur or Roy much anymore, because of Batman's orders to stay safe.

Sighing, he stood up and flushed the toilet, then made his way out of the bathroom. He missed all of his old friends, but most of all he missed Bruce. He wanted to drive straight back to Gotham City, march straight up to Wayne Manor, force the door open, and give him the most biggest embrace ever. Robin was able to hang out with Wally, Aqualad, and Speedy yesterday, when the Titans and Titans East teamed up to take down Slade. Kid flash also bought Jinx along to teach her how to be a hero. He had to admit, he was impressed that Wally managed to convince Jinx that she was fighting on the wrong side, for a speedster who always acts before he thinks. He was so lost into his thoughts, that he didn't notice that Starfire had flown up and gave him a huge kiss on the lips.

"MMMPHH!" he managed in surprise before he realized it was her and returned the kiss.

"Oh, Robin!" she gushed. "Ready for our a traditional Tamaranian meal?"

"Err...How about we go for a walk first?" Robin asked, hoping to avoid eating the repulsive food at long as he could.

"Glorious!" Starfire gushed again, as she grabbed his wrist and dragged him along the trail.

As Robin walked along the park trail with Starfire chattering excitedly next to him, he couldn't help having a flashback of his old team. He wondered how they were doing on the Watchtower. The world had probably already forgotten about them, since the Teen Titans never even seem to have heard of them.

At first Starfire went on and on about the customs of her planet, but then she noticed that Robin didn't seem to be listening. He seemed distracted. "Robin?" she asked in a concerned voice, tugging his arm gently. "Is everything okay?"

"What?" Robin asked glancing at her. "Oh, yes, I'm fine."

Just then his communicator beeped. "Robin,Titans, trouble!" he heard Cyborg say. "Control Freak is busting up the mall in the center of Jump City!"

"On our way!" Robin answered instantly. He shoved the communicator back into his belt. "Sorry Star, looks like we'll have to reschedule our date. There's trouble with Control Freak. Gimme a hand, will you?" he asked, holding his arm out.

Star's eyes lit up, and she took his arm, and shot gracefully into the sky toward Jump City Mall. They could already see people running and screaming, and vandalized objects.

As Star flew over the buildings, it reminded Robin of flying in Gotham, fighting alongside the Batman. He was going crazy about unable to use his acrobatic skills, but fortunately he was able to continue to practice them in private, when no one was looking.

As Star dropped him on the floor gently, he saw the orange-haired dude with the familiar light saber sword and the famous remote control.

Control Freak was going on and on about finally destroying the Teen Titans, which was growing old, since he had said it every time they confronted him. By now it was so old and lame that Robin wanted to slam his head repeatedly into the wall right next to him.

"This is the day I'll triumph, Titans! I will finally destroy you! I'll-! MMMPPH!" his voice was cut off as a gag covered his mouth. Raven was hovering above him, levitating the gag to shut up him up.

"This is the seventeenth time you've said it to us, and I am NOT exaggerating," she muttered, looking annoyed.

After a couple of punches, knuckle sandwiches, and many strings of yelling and curses, Control Freak was tied up and gagged, so they wouldn't hear his annoyingly shrill voice shrieking at them about how he'll be back.

"Blah, blah, that's the annoying Control Freak we know," Beastboy said, looking bored. "His promises to conquer us are even more horrible than your guys' reaction to my jokes."

"Oh gee," Raven muttered again. "I wonder why."

"Hey guys," Cyborg suddenly spoke up, "Kid flash just asked if he and Jinx could come over, so that Jinx could come and receive proper training. He's not the most best teacher in the world. He would also like the Titans East to come over too, so we could all get to know each other."

"Sure! No prob!" everyone agreed enthusiastically, while Raven just shrugged.

Robin was the one of the most excited of all, since he could see his best friend again. And Kid flash obviously asked for the Titans East to come over was to hang out with their older brothers, Aqualad and Speedy.

 _30 minutes later:_

"Yo, everyone! What's up!" Kid flash whooped as he zoomed into the Tower, with Jinx following.

Robin, Aqualad, Kid flash, and Speedy barely managed to restrain themselves from hugging one another and cheering at the top of their lungs when they met each other. So far, they've been good at hiding their emotions, though Kidflash looked ready to burst if he didn't zoom over and embrace them right away.

Robin laughed and settled for a high five. "Hey KF-er Kid flash, it's great to see you again." He greatly missed calling Wally "KF." It was his nickname.

"What's up,everyone!" Beastboy cheered.

"Hey Aqualad, what's wrong with the grumpy expression? Trash in your gills?" Bumblebee asked when she noticed that he was scowling.

He shook his head. "No, I'm fine. It's just..." He scratched his head in puzzlement, "I just have this really bad feeling about something."

"Maybe that's because Cyborg and Beastboy asked us to watch a movie with them of their choice," grumbled Raven. In her opinion, they both made horrible choice of movies.

"C'mon Kal-Aqualad, enjoy yourself!" Speedy grinned, throwing an arm over his shoulder and back, bestie-style.

"Hey, Kid flash, there's this new restaurant that opened up downtown. Wanna hang out?" Jinx asked, batting her eyelashes.

Kid flash gulped. "Um...well..." he scratched his hair nervously. He was already dating Artemis, and he love her to death. But he couldn't help feeling guilty whenever he looked at Jinx.

Mas and Menos were both by Aqualad, trying to comfort him. Even though Aqualad could not understand a word they said, their tones were soothing, and their smiles were contagious.

"You're right," Aqualad said, taking a deep breath and standing up straight. "I'm just worrying for nothing, I should just enjoy myself and-"

Suddenly the air around Robin, Kid flash, and Aqualad's neck shimmered, and the glamour charms turned visible.

"Dude, what-" began Beastboy, his eyes widening, but Cyborg beat him to it. "Where did that come from?!" His eyes looked ready to pop from his head.

"You three wear necklaces?" Raven raised an eyebrow, her tone and expression showing disbelief.

The four sidekicks looked at one another with horror. "They've found us!" they simultaneously cried. Kid flash yelped and jumped three feet into the air.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Bumblebee raised her hand, looking shocked and confused. "Who's found you? And where did that necklace come fr-"

She never finished her sentence. Robin instantly roared, "NOW!" He threw tear gas bombs at their feet. Speedy aimed arrows also laced with tear gas in a circle around. Aqualad spread his arms, and water burst from the sink, forming a water bubble on the Titans's head, making them unable to breathe. And Kid flash ran in a circle, creating a tornado, sucking the last of the oxygen from the air.

"Robin-what-" Starfire gasped, clutching her throat. The others suddenly gagged and held their throats.

"Can't...breathe!" Raven gasped, grabbing her throat. Mas and Menos went down first, then Bumblebee, then Beastboy, then Cyborg, and herself. As Starfire choked and looked up at the group suffocating them, she noticed that their mouths were moving. She looked over at Robin, and although she couldn't hear him, she could see his mouth move. He was saying, _"I'm sorry."_

Then Starfire gasped, and blacked out.


	5. Chapter 5: The Reunion

Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, and Speedy stepped off the teleporter.

"Trouble!" Kid Flash called, feeling so panicked that he could barely think straight He zoomed all over the Watchtower like a maniac. "Big, big trouble!"

Immediately, the rest of Young Justice were there. Their eyes lit up when they saw them.

"Wally!" Artemis spread her arms, ready to hug him. "It's been months-"

Aqualad, Kid Flash, and Robin held up their now visible and glowing glamour charms.

At first, no one said anything.

Then, Plastic Man, the Atom, Hawkman, and Captain Atom came into the room.

"What's all the commotion about-" started Captain Atom, but his voice died when he saw the glowing glamour charms.

"Well, that's not good," said Rocket, her voice trailing off.

Suddenly Robin jumped up and flung his arms around Superboy. He stumbled back in surprise.

"It's so good to see you again!" Robin gushed as he took off the glamour charm. He immediately turned back into his old self. "Let's just have a happy reunion for now!"

They spent the rest of the last hour hugging and exchanging laughs.

"Wally, oh it's so good to see you again!" Artemis half laughed, half sobbed as she embraced in a bone crushing hug.

"It's good to see you too, beautiful," Wally grinned. Despite the sober situation they were in, he couldn't squelch his goofy grin.

"KALDUR!" squealed Rocket and Miss Martian as they both hugged him at the same time.

Kaldur smiled and took off the glamour charm. "It's so wonderful to see you all again," he said, a rare grin on his face. "I was feeling foolish adopting a whole new identity and personality."

"Ohmygosh, Kaldur, Dick, Wally, Roy, we missed you all so much!" Miss Martian gushed, the biggest grin on her face anyone had ever seen.

"Hello, Roy," smiled Connor, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It's wonderful to see you again. Green Arrow was so worried. How was it being Speedy again?"

"A little embarrassing," admitted Roy, but he was chuckling. "But it also reminded me of fond memories of fighting alongside Green Arrow in Star City and hanging out with my little brothers several years back. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd better go and change back into my Red Arrow costume." He turned and walked off.

Robin, Kid flash, Aqualad, Superboy, Miss Martian, Artemis, Zatanna, and Rocket all came into one big group hug.

M'gaan and Zatanna were sobbing with happiness uncontrollably. Connor and Kaldur were each showing a rare, genuine smile. And Dick, Wally, and Racquelle were smiling so long and hard that the four League members thought their faces would crack any minute.

"Aw, this memory's so touching," Plastic man sighed fondly.

"I never realized how much I missed them," Captain Atom said, who was also showing a rare smile. Even Hawkman and the Atom were grinning.

"So," Zatanna asked, "How was your new life treating you?"

"It's a little hard to adjust to," Kid flash admitted. "I was pretty lonely. Wish you were at my side sweet cheeks," he said, flashing a flirty grin at Artemis. She smiled back.

"I missed all of you guys," Kaldur said, his voice back to a calm, serious demeanor. "There may be plenty of ocean water and lots of aquatic animals and my henchman, but no one can replace you. Ever."

"It wasn't so bad," agreed Robin. "I formed a new team! They're called the Teen Titans!"

Superboy, Miss Martian, Artemis, Zatanna, and Rocket each raised and eyebrow.

"They're not your replacements!" Robin answered hastily. "I met them in Jump City, and I had to admit, they were wonderful friends. I sure do hope they forgive us for knocking them out," he muttered.

"But why'd you guys form a new team?" Artemis asked suspiciously. "You guys already have the Team. Why would you want to replace us?"

"We weren't replacing anyone!" Wally protested. "We didn't come to them, they came to us! Besides, it seemed like fate!"

Suddenly M'gaan's eyes lit up with understanding. "Oh, hello Megan!" she cried, hitting the side of her head lightly. "You guys missed us and wanted to form a team again to try and remember the happy times back at Mount Justice with us!"

"Indeed," Kaldur said, smiling. "And although they did remind us a little about you all, they could never replace you, just as you could never replace someone else."

Robin turned to the four Justice League members. "So where's Batman and everyone else?" he asked hopefully. He missed Bruce terribly and he seeked his warmth and comfort.

"He and others are on an off-planet mission," explained Captain Atom. "They should be back in several hours. They'll be so happy to see you all again."

"So, who're your new teammates?" Zatanna asked curiously. "You make it sound like they're wonderful people."

"Oh, they are!" cried Robin. "They're loyal, caring teammates and friends! First, there's Raven, a mistress of magic and has the power to levitate objects. Then there's Cyborg, half man, half robot, who can hack through almost everything, just like me! And there's Beastboy, a green-skinned boy who has the power to shift shape! And then there's-" But then his face turned pink and he did not finish the sentence.

"And then there's who?" the Atom asked curiously.

"Go on!" urged Zatanna. "We're listening!"

"Robin has a soft spot for the last teammate!" Wally sing-songed. "Her name is Starfire, a Tamaranean princess who comes from the planet Tamaran. Rob is totally in love with her!" he gushed.

"Shut up," Robin muttered, the pink on his face spreading to his ears and the back of his neck.

"You...fell in love?" Hawkman asked him, looking puzzled.

He nodded slowly. "Yeah."

"You were supposed to be in hiding. Robin, we did not give you instructions to fall in love."

"I...I didn't mean to. She was just...so cool. And she loved me back."

"Robin, I hate to break this to you, but now that the Light has found you and you're back on the Team, you have no chance of seeing her again," said Captain Atom.

Robin stared at the ground. He knew that it was going to come to this. "I...I...understand." He just hoped that Starfire would understand that he had to leave and that she wasn't _too_ heartbroken.

 _I'm_ _sorry, Star,_ he thought. _But this is for_ _the_ _best._


	6. Chapter 6: The Search

Light entered Starfire's eyes and she gasped, trying to obtain as much air as possible.

The rest of the Titans groaned and gasped for air, gradually getting up to their feet.

"What happened?" groaned Beast Boy, getting up to his feet. Then he smacked himself on the head. "Oh, right! Robin, Aqualad, Speedy, and Kid Flash knocked us out!"

"But why would they knock us out? We're their friends," Starfire said, confused why they would do that.

"They're gone," Raven said, staring at the spot where the four of them stood when they knocked them out. "Wh-" her voice stopped when she saw two pieces of paper on the ground that weren't there before.

Mas hopped over to the paper on the left, picked it up, and gave it to Cyborg.

Cyborg cleared his throat and read, "Dear Titans, we have to go. We are truly sorry for knocking all of you out. There was no other way. We wish we could say why. We might not ever come back. But know that if we don't, you all will always be a big thing in our lives. From, Robin, Kid Flash, Speedy, and Aqualad."

At first, no one said anything. Then Bumblebee said in a small voice. "They're...not ever coming back?"

"Titans! Break up! Search the whole city!" Cyborg commanded.

With that, everyone rushed off in different directions.

Starfire looked at the second letter on the ground. It said in big letters, _To Starfire._

She picked it up and turned it over. The paper read,

" _Dear Starfire, You have no idea how sorry I am for this. I have to go. Try to not be too heartbroken because I might not ever see you again. But even so, I love you and I always will. No girl can ever take your place. I love you. Love, Robin."_

Slowly, she lowered the paper. She might not ever see him again? Why? Where did he have to go?

"Starfire!" Cyborg came up to her and noticed her expression, staring off into space. "Hey, are okay?"

She turned around to face him. She shakily took a deep breath and nodded her head. "Yes."

"Aren't you coming or not?"

"Okay." She followed him, clutching the piece of paper in her hand. Thousands of emotions clashed together in her mind. She hardly knew what to think after reading the letter from Robin.

Cyborg tapped on his communicator. "Any luck, Beast Boy?"

"No," Beast Boy sighed as he morphed from a dog back into himself. "I can't pick up their trail."

"Just keep trying. They could be anywhere. Cyborg out." Cyborg tapped on his communicator again. "What about you, Raven?"

"No luck. I can sense them, but nothing deep enough to be linked with their consciousness," she answered as she poked her head into an old building.

Cyborg called the other Titans to see if they had any luck, but the answer was the same: "No."

He groaned. "Where could they be? They're on my scanner, but it won't show where they are."

"Perhaps we could try Titan's Tower?" Starfire suggested.

"Good idea. Let's go." He got into his car, while she flew alongside it.

As they got onto the highway, Starfire took one last look at the piece of paper she was holding and read it again. She could tell that Robin was saying that he was sorry that he, Speedy, Kid Flash, and Aqualad knocked them out, but what did he mean that he wasn't going to see her again?

A few minutes, she and Cyborg got there. Cyborg parked his car and got out. "Come one, let's go search for clues." He tapped on his communicator again as he and Starfire entered the Tower. "Raven, Beast Boy, we're at Titan's Tower to look for clues. We could use some help."

Starfire flew upstairs. She just landed when she saw Robin's bedroom. She didn't know why, but her instincts told her to go inside.

So she walked over, turned the knob, and opened the door.

She held back a gasp. There were papers scattered all over the floor and overflowing the trash bin as though Robin had been working extremely hard on something. Books lay everywhere; on the bed, all over the book shelves, and on the floor.

"Robin," she whispered aloud. "What on earth have you been working on?"

She went over to the side table and opened the top drawer. There were stacks of books, but underneath all of it was a corner of a colorful poster.

Curiosity got the best of her and she carefully pulled the poster out.

On it, written in large letters, were the words, _The Flying Graysons._ There was a man, a woman, and a young boy flying through the air. In the background were circus tents.

Starfire was shocked and puzzled. When was the last Robin was interested in the circus? He always worked so hard that the circus seemed to be the last of his interests.

"Found anything, Star?" Cyborg's voice boomed out, startling her.

"Um...I think so," she called, and flew out of Robin's bedroom, holding the poster.

Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven were waiting for her in the hallway. "Found anything?" asked Cyborg.

"I'm not sure if this will help, but..." Starfire help up the circus poster. "I found this in Robin's bedroom."

Cyborg and Beast Boy looked shocked. Raven raised an eyebrow. "You found that in his room? He never told us he was interested in the circus," she said.

"Dude, what are even the Flying Graysons?" Beast Boy asked.

"They were circus performers who perform trapezes without the safety of a net," Cyborg answered. "Their names were John,Mary, Karla, and Rick Grayson. Karla and Rick had a son named after Rick's brother, John. John and Mary had their own son too, the youngest of the group. Every one of the Flying Graysons were murdered years ago. Only Dick survived, because he was too young to be in their death-defying act yet, and he was safe standing on the trapeze."

Beast Boy's and Starfire's eyes widened. "Whoa. What happened to him?" asked Beast Boy, gaping.

"He was adopted by Gotham's famous billionaire, Bruce Wayne." explained Cyborg. He shook his head sadly. "I've always loved the Flying Graysons," he said wistfully. "They were so carefree and full of life. They can sometimes make me smile, especially the youngest boy, Dick Grayson. He didn't have a care in the world before his entire family died."

"I don't understand. Why is Robin interested in the Flying Graysons?" asked Raven.

"We'll have to find out," said Cyborg, staring at the poster.


	7. Chapter 7: No More Hiding

Hawkman, Plastic Man, the Atom, and Captain Atom all stared at Aqualad's, Kid Flash's, and Robin's glowing glamour charms.

"You three have been found. We must figure out our next move, fast," said Hawkman grimly.

"Well, we don't have any ideas," Roy snapped. He was so worried. He was afraid he wasn't going to be able to protect the Team, especially his little brothers, and they would fall victims to the Light.

Just then they heard the zeta tube announcing the arrival of Batman, Flash, Aquaman, and Green Arrow to the Watchtower.

Plastic Man chuckled. "They got our message. They sure came here fast, even for a speedster who can run around the world in a couple of minutes."

As the League members stepped out of the zeta-tube, their eyes fell on their proteges. Their faces instantly lit up. Even Batman was showing a rare, genuine smile.

The four sidekicks cried out in joy and ran up to their mentors.

"Uncle Barry!" Wally cried happily as threw his arms around Flash.

"My King!" Kaldur exclaimed, clasping both of Aquaman's hands in his.

"Ollie!" beamed Roy as he flung his arms around Green Arrow with only a brief moment's hesitation.

"Tati," Dick breathed as he buried his face in Batman's chest with his arms around his neck.

"You guys are back. After four and a half months, you came back!" laughed Flash, unable to hold back a tear.

"It's wonderful to see you again, Kaldur'ahm. I'm looking forward to having by my side again," Aquaman beamed as he ruffled Aqualad's hair.

"Hiya, Roy!" Green Arrow managed to choke out. He seemed to barely be able to speak out of happiness. "You can't believe how worried I was, how long you've been gone!"

"Hello, my little bird," Batman said, with a real actual smile on his face. "I missed you so much, my son. The Manor was a lot more quieter and sad without a certain little boy around."

Robin, Miss Martian, Zatanna, and Artemis were crying out of happiness and pure joy of reunion with friends and family(Though not by blood, except for Flash and Kid flash)

Captain Atom cleared his throat. As much as he detested having to interrupt the touchy, emotional moment after months after not seeing each other, they had more important matters to attend to. "Batman, everyone," he announced, "I'm sure you know why the reason they came back is because the Light has found them, which means they are in danger."

"We'll be fine," Aqualad declared firmly, his face turning serious. "We're not hiding anymore. We're going to go out and confront them."

"I agree!" Connor said immediately. "Me, M'gaan, Rocket, and Zatanna have been cooped up here in the Watchtower, bored out of our minds and feeling like prisoners! If I don't get out of here soon, some statues will start to become punching targets! We need some action!" he snapped.

"Bruce, we're ready," Robin said pleadingly. "We're not hiding anymore. We're tired of hiding. Hiding only delays in inevitable. Confronting the Light and Vandal Savage will thwart their plans to kill us. If we hide, they'll just look for us, and without a backup plan, we'll die the moment they find us. If we just continue hiding, I will _so_ not be whelmed."

"Absolutely not," Batman snarled. "It's too dangerous, and the Light are too powerful. We'll find some other solution. You will not go and confront the Light."

"Yes we will!" Wally shot back.

"Kid-" Barry begun, but Wally cut him off.

"While out time away from the Team and the League, I've learned some new things," Wally said in a firm tone. "One thing that I've learned while being away is that if you have a problem, you can't just sit and wait for it to go away! That's what I learned when I met Jinx. When I met her, I saw under all that bad luck and bitterness, she was a lonely, confused person just wanting to be respected and be treated with kindness. But I didn't sit back and watch her hoping that she'll find her own path. She needed help realizing who's side she's really supposed to be on, so I helped her. Being a speedster, I don't sit still. I act!" he shot.

"We're ready," Kaldur said. "We've each went solo before. We know what we're doing."

"Aqualad," said Aquaman. "Stand down!"

"Apologies, my King, but no," he answered sternly.

"Please listen," M'gaan pleaded. "We've confronted them once, and it went well. Nothing went wrong."

"Listen to them, and Baywatch," Artemis urged. "I can handle my sister Jade perfectly fine, and if Robin can lead an entire new team consisting of at least 20 members without Kaldur's help or advice, I can handle Savage."

"Why should we just stand by and wait for them to find us?!" Superboy snapped. "I say instead of waiting for them to take us into battle, take the battle to **_them_**."

"I've been a solo hero for over a year," Roy snarled, "And nothing bad has happened! We can handle it! We're not children anymore!"

The Justice League exchanged looks, and Batman's eyes narrowed.

"Come. League members only," he stated, walking toward the Council room.

The Team could hear snatches of their voices and words from the room. They heard "but they're so young" and "confident and headstrong," and "too dangerous."

"How dare they!" Roy growled, outrageous. "We're not too young! I'm 18, a legal adult! I'll turn 19 in two months!"

"They don't trust us that we could handle ourselves!" Artemis exclaimed, exasperated. "I haven't been able to see my mother in months, and we can't even zeta tube to Mount Justice!"

"You think Green Arrow's protective?" Zatanna muttered. "You wouldn't believe how my dad would react to this." A sad expression flitted across her face.

Robin put a hand on her shoulder, comforting her. "They're just worried," he said. "I'm sure they're realize that we can protect ourselves soon,"

"Right, and then I'll become best friends with monkeys, which will probably never happen," Superboy grumbled, who absolutely HATED monkeys.

"Shhh! They're coming!" Rocket hushed, pointing to the 8 Justice League members making their way over to them. The Team turned the opposite direction and saw Superman, Martian Manhunter, Icon, and even Doctor Fate coming up too.

Batman made his way up to Superman and the others with him and exchanged a few words they couldn't hear. The four other League members must've disliked Batman's decision, because Icon scowled, Doctor Fate crossed his arms, Martian Manhunter spoke in a calm, reasoning tone that sounded like he was trying to persuade Batman not to do something, and Superman seemed to be arguing, judging by his body posture and his annoyed yet concerned face expression.

 **"What are they saying?" Artemis asked telepathically in their head.**

 **"I don't know, they're out of earshot," said M'gaan.**

 **"Whatever it is, it's not making the Man of Steel happy," Wally said, sounding concerned as he observed the scene.**

 **"Can you listen in Connor?" asked Robin.**

Connor learned forward and opened up his superhearing, but before he could listen to anything they said, the League members finished their discussion and walked up to them.

"Well?" Roy asked impatiently. "Have you decided and realized that we can take care of ourselves?"

"Roy..."Ollie warned. "Don't make us change our mind."

"So what's your guys' decision?" Wally asked curiously.

"We've agreed to stop hiding you all, but if you're going on any more covert missions, you will have at least one Justice League member accompanying you," Batman said. "We'll also place trackers inside you surgically, so it can't fall off or an enemy can't remove it. You'll all also be allowed back at Mount Justice, with Red Tornado, and Black Canary checking on you daily. And if any of you are going to sneak off and disobey orders while going on missions without my permission and a League member, there'll be serious consequences," he finished, his eyes narrowing at the last part.

"What?" protested Wally. "But that's not fair! We-"

"Fair enough," Aqualad interrupted, gazing at his teammates with a stern expression on his face. "We'll try our best to follow orders, and not to get caught by the Light. We're also grateful that we're allowed back at Mount Justice."

"Are you kidding?" Superboy growled. "We still have bodyguards! This is _so_ not fair!"

"If you guys show that you can take care of yourselves, we'll think about giving you some alone time," said Flash. "This is for your own safety. You're not strong enough to take on the entire Light by yourselves."

"What about me?" Roy protested. "Do I have to stay at Mount Justice and get babied?"

"You're not quite a part of this team, and you're not really a target," Ollie explained. "But since you were accompanying Robin, Kid flash, and Aqualad when you were all in hiding, the Light focused a little more attention on you than I would've liked. So, you'll be coming back to Star City and staying at my Manor for some time. If nothing unusual or bad happens for a few weeks, you're allowed to go anyplace you like. The only other place you'll be allowed to visit is Mount Justice."

"Seriously?" Roy growled. "What part of "I'm a legal adult," do you not understand?"

"Roy," Kaldur said gently. "Green Arrow is doing this because he cares about you. The Manor is a huge place, and I'm sure that you and Ollie could spend some much-needed time together."

Roy hesitated, considering what Kaldur said. "Fine," he growled. "But if I get any word that if my little brothers are in danger then I'm headed to Mount Justice or wherever they are in a few seconds flat."

"Artemis, you're allowed to see your mother for a few hours," said Superman. "Wally, you can go and see your entire family too. They must be worried sick."

Both of their eyes lit up.

"Yes!" cheered Wally, pumping his fist in the air. "I miss my Mom and Dad so much!"

"Me too," beamed Artemis, "My Mom was a way better parent than my Dad."

"Everyone, go now and head to Mount Justice," the commanding, authoritative voice of Batman broke through. "Come with me, Dick. There's a few things you need to pack before you head over there."

"Let's meet at Mount Justice at 7:30 pm sharp," Wally said eagerly. "I've got some catching up with all of you people too."

"Agreed," beamed M'gaan. "See you later!"


	8. Chapter 8: Unknown Enemies

"Any luck?" Cyborg asked on his communicator.

"No," Bumblebee answered. "I searched the whole city. I just can't seem to find them." She flew over some trash cans in an alley.

"I do not understand." Starfire walked up to Cyborg. "Why did they have to go? Why was knocking us out the only way? Why will we not ever see them again?"

"We don't know." Raven stared at the Flying Graysons poster again. "Maybe what they said on the letter is true. We might not see them again."

"C'mon, Raven, stop being negative!" Beast Boy pounded his fist on a side table. "If we just keep searching, we could find them!"

"What was also really confusing was those necklaces that Aqualad, Kid Flash, and Robin wore," said Cyborg. "The necklaces glow, then they say, 'They found us.'"

"I still do not understand," said Starfire, getting more confused. "Who found them, and why didn't we notice that they wore necklaces before?"

Cyborg's communicator beeped. He tapped his finger on it. "Hello, how's the search going?"

"Not good. We searched the whole city!" Jinx's voice came out frustrated and confused.

"The whole city?" Cyborg repeated.

"Yes! We just can't find him! It's like they just disappeared into nowhere!"

"Then we just have to take our search into another country," said Beast Boy, determined. "We can't give up on them yet!"

"Try to look to the east," Cyborg suggested on his communicator. "Beast Boy's right. We can't give up yet. Cyborg out."

Suddenly his communicator beeped again.

"Titans! Trouble at the the edge of the bridge at Jump City!" Cyborg heard Bumblebee exclaim anxiously. "An unknown enemy is tearing up the side of the bridge, and the police aren't slowing him down! He's getting closer to Jump City the moment I'm speaking!"

Raven groaned. "Oh, who is it this time?" she grumbled. "Is it Doctor Light, or Killer Moth, or-"

"Actually I'm not sure," Bumblebee interrupted. "This is a new enemy that we don't know at all. He's-" Her eyes widened behind the screen of the communicator. "He's demanding for Robin, Aqualad, and Kid flash to come to him, and Speedy to surrender!"

"What?!" yelped Beastboy. "Are you kidding me?! This is a bad timing! This new enemy comes up just as our friends vanish! Ohhh, why does the new villain always show up at bad timings?!"

"Hold on a second," Cyborg said, his eyes narrowing. "Our friends disappear yesterday, and then this new villain shows up demanding for Robin, Kid flash, and Aqualad to show up. He isn't even asking for the Teen Titans. He's demanding that those three show up with Speedy surrendering. Don't you think those events are related?"

"There's one more thing," Raven said. "This new enemy wants Speedy to surrender. Why not the others? Why does Speedy's fate differ from the other three? Did Speedy do something to make this villain angry?"

"Mas, Menos, you two go and assist Bumblebee," Cyborg ordered.

"Si!" they both yelled as they zoomed off toward the bridge.

"Wait!" Starfire called over the communicator. "I want to come too. If this enemy is threatening my friends and Robin, I must take him down!"

"Me too!" Jinx exclaimed. "This new enemy seems to know something about Kid flash that I don't, and that's good enough for me!"

"We should all go," Cyborg said. "Raven, Beastboy, meet us at the bridge as quickly as you can."

 _At the edge of Jump City on the bridge_

"Where are they?!" roared Sportsmaster as he threw his mace at a police car, which crumpled under the weight. "Where are the 4 original sidekicks?!"

He then threw his mace at a police officer, but before it could make contact, a yellow and black blur flew by and shoved the officer out of the way.

"Hold up!" Bumblebee exclaimed as she landed on the ground in front of Sportsmaster, facing him. "Who are you, and want do you want with our friends?!"

The unknown villain (in her point of view) chuckled. "Let's just say they're part of a very big plan," he said sinisterly. "The rest is classified information."

Mas and Menos ran up to him with their superspeed, but somehow Sportsmaster caught them and threw them into the ocean below.

"WWWAAAUUUGGGHHH!" the two cried as they fell toward the sea.

"Hang on, guys!" Bumblebee called as she flew toward them furiously as fast as she could. "I'm coming!"

A green starbolt suddenly hit the ground besides Sportsmaster. He jumped back and looked up.

Starfire was hovering above him, starbolts glimmering in each hand. The rest of the Titans had managed to show up just in time, and were right behind her.

"Who are you, and what have you done to Robin?!" she cried angrily.

"I didn't do anything to him...yet," Sportsmaster smirked behind his mask. "But I'm sure you're better off without him or the others."

"You know something that we don't, do you," Cyborg growled, his right arm transforming into a weapon. "TITANS, GO!"

Everyone leapt towards Sportsmaster. He quickly dodged and rolled under the barrage of attacks.

"Give up, dude," Beastboy growled. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. In case you haven't noticed, you're outnumbered, so you might as well surrender."

Sportsmaster cocked his head. "You think I'm foolish enough to come here without backup?" he smirked.

A helicopter zoomed down from a sky, and a woman with black hair with a white mask outlined in red that was shaped like a cat jumped out.

Cheshire. (Although the Titans have never heard of her)

"Who is this?! One of your pet cats?!" Jinx snapped.

"How rude," Cheshire said, cocking her head. "That's not the language you use to address an assassin. And unlike regular cats, I'll disappear into the shadows, like the Cheshire cat. Has your "boyfriend" Kid flash taught you any superhero manners or cheated on you yet?"

Jinx let out an angry cry. "Shut...up!" she yelled, throwing her bad luck bolts at Cheshire.

Cheshire jumped up, dodging the attacks, and flipped out her assassin's dagger.

"This gig's getting interesting," she giggled.

Cyborg punched at Sportsmaster, but he blocked the attack and counterattacked with a punch. Cyborg stumbled back, then held out his arm. Missiles shot out of his hands and forearm.

Sportsmaster deflected them all with his mace. "Not bad, chump, not bad," he said, swing his mace around. "Your leader really trained you well. I'm almost impressed. I wonder why he didn't make it as leader the first time."

"What are you talking about, and shut up!" Cyborg growled trying to deliver a roundhouse kick to his chest.

Starfire aimed starbolts at Cheshire, who dodged them easily. "Do you really think that _those_ are going to hurt me?" she sneered at her. "Didn't your leader teach you anything?"

Instantly, Starfire could tell that she was talking about Robin. "Don't talk about him like that!" she shouted in anger, aiming more starbolts.

"What do you two want Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, and Speedy for?!" Beast Boy yelled as he morphed into a rhinoceros. "We don't even know where they are!"

"Let's just say they're part of a big plan," smirked Sportsmaster. "Now all of you obediently tell me where they all are, and no one will get hurt."

"How are we supposed to tell you if we don't know where they are?!" yelled Bumblebee.

""They seem reluctant to talk," Cheshire said. "Perhaps they need a little convincing."

Raven levitated an empty police car and hurled it at Cheshire. Cheshire flipped aside as the car smashed to the ground right next to her. Cheshire leapt up to knock Raven out of the sky, but Mas and Menos tackled her, throwing her off balance.

Starfire threw starbolts at Sportsmaster. Unfortunately, he dodged them all and threw his mace, which smacked into Beastboy's side as he charged at Sportmaster. Beastboy yelped and turned back to human.

"Everyone freeze!" they suddenly heard a man's voice yell. They looked over their shoulder and saw tons of police cars, with at least thirty policemen and women, all with their guns trained on them.

"Maybe this is getting a little too interesting," said Cheshire.

"Time to fly the coop," Sportsmaster said.

Cheshire reached into her pocket and pulled out smoke bombs. She smashed them by her feet. Beastboy turned into a gorilla and charged into the smoke, but instead charged right into Raven, who was right in front of him on the other side. Raven glared at him, unamused at him being so close to her. Beastboy chuckled nervously and backed away quickly.

"They're gone!" Cyborg growled in frustration, kicking the stone slabs by his feet.

"We must find them!" Starfire demanded furiously. "They're after Robin! I must protect him!"

"How?" asked Raven. "We don't know anything about those two we just fought at all. We don't even know their names."

"There must be some way!" Jinx snapped. "Anything!"

"Head back to Titans Tower," Cyborg ordered. "We'll try and hack through some defenses to see if those enemies are really just our old enemies in disguise."

Starfire didn't need to be told twice. She flew back to the Tower without hesitation. Jinx sprinted behind her.

"Hey, wait up!" Beastboy yelped as he turned into a peregrine falcon and flew after them. "Man, they really are set on finding their boyfriends," he muttered, although Kid flash and Jinx didn't seem to be an item yet.

"Please be okay, guys," Raven muttered to herself, thinking about their missing friends.


	9. Chapter 9: Back at Mount Justice

Wally reached into the fridge to grab a snack. "Aah, it's good to be home again," he sighed as he bit into an apple.

The entire Team had just come back to Mount Justice. They were all excited to be back, since it had been months. For now, they were all doing what they'd do on a normal day and dressed in their civilian clothes.

Superboy, as usual, was watching TV that the the words, "No Signal" on it. M'gaan was baking Snickerdoodle cookies.

Wally plopped down onto the couch, continuing to crunch down on his apple. "So, Dick, how does it feel to be back?" No answer. "Dick?" He looked up.

Dick had his back propped against the wall with his arms folded and head down. He seemed to be deep in thought.

Wally got up and waved his hand in front of his face. "Hello, earth to Dick!"

"Huh?" he looked up. "Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about..."

"The Teen Titans?" guessed Wally.

"That, and..."

"And Starfire?" Wally guessed again.

"Yeah. I just...I didn't want to leave her. I just hopes she understands that I had to go."

Wally placed a hand on Dick's shoulder. "Hey, I get it, man. You love her. I'd feel the same as you if I had to leave Artemis."

"Wally..." Dick turned towards him. "Is what the League said true? Am I really not going to see her again?"

"Hey, don't worry about it, man. Once we defeat the Light, we can go look for her and the Teen Titans," Wally assured.

"Thanks for telling me that, but..." Dick looked down at his feet. "What if she doesn't want to see my face again? She's probably heartbroken already."

"C'mon, Dick. You know her. She loves her friends no matter what," Wally said, patting him on the shoulder.

"Wally, we were supposed to hide. I didn't think I'd fall in love."

"Come on, don't kick yourself. You know the saying: Love happens when you least expect it."

Artemis cleared her throat. "Ahem, Wally, speaking about girlfriends..." she started.

Wally understood what she meant immediately. "Me and Jinx are not a couple!" he answered hastily. "We're just good friends! You're the only girl I've really got my sights on, babe."

"Right," Artemis said rather coolly. "Just good friends."

"We are!" Wally protested. "There's nothing going on between me and Jinx!"

Kaldur spoke up. "He's right, Artemis." he said. "It was a very noble and brave thing Kid did to convince a villain to join the side of good. And out of all the other villains he could've chose to reason with, there is a good reason why he chose her."

"Which is?" Artemis said coldly, her hands balled into fists.

"Because..."Wally's voice trailed off. "Because she reminded me of you."

Artemis instantly deflated. "Wha...W-what?" she stammered, her eyes wide in disbelief and shock.

"Yeah!" Robin suddenly spoke. "I watched Jinx closely to make sure she doesn't get herself into trouble, and I've noticed you two have quite a lot in common. Bossy, headstrong, tough...you guys actually have a lot of similar traits. Just like you, Artemis, Jinx had a chance of redemption on the side of good, and she went for it, just like you."

Artemis was silent for a moment. "Wally...I'm sorry," she finally said. "I should've trusted you more. I've been way too possessive of you."

"Hey, no problem, babe," Wally grinned. "I probably would've acted the same if I were you, and besides, I can't get mad at you."

Dick rolled his eyes. "Yeah...just like with M'gaan before..." he muttered under his breath, a tone so low that only Connor could hear. The half-Kryptonian sent him an amused smile in his direction.

Suddenly the zeta tube announced Red Arrow's arrival.

Dick and Wally immediately dashed over to the zeta tube. "ROY!" they both cried out happily.

Wally gave him a huge bear hug that was enough to strangle Superman.

"...Kid," Roy managed to growl out. "You have five seconds to release me, or I'll break your arm."

Wally gulped and let go. No sooner than he did, Dick threw his arms around Roy.

"Ooomph!" he grunted. "Okay, that's enough. Any more of those hugs and you'll strangle me to death."

"So, how's staying over at Ollie's place again?" Dick asked.

Roy hesitated. "It was actually rather nice," he admitted. "I didn't realize how much I missed the place, and hanging out with Ollie."

Aqualad cleared his throat. As much as he hated to interrupt the moment between the three, he had come across some very important news.

"Everyone," he announced. "There has been some news. Batman sent it to me. He told us not to intervene, though." He read the hologram across the screen. "Apparently there's been some trouble and chaos at..." his voice trailed off. "At Jump City."

Dick's face paled. Wally let out an audible gasp. Roy's eyes widened. "What?!"

"What do you mean? What's going on?" M'gaan asked as she flew from the kitchen over to the sparring room.

Kaldur frowned as he continued reading. "Two unknown enemies showed up and fought against the Titans," he read. "They were demanding for Robin, Aqualad, Speedy, and Kid flash to show up and turn themselves in." He looked closely at the images at the screen, which were slightly blurred from the quick movements.

Zatanna also looked at the images closely too. "Who were those two villains?" she wondered aloud. Then she got a good look at them. Her eyes widened and she let out a gasp. "My god..." she breathed. "Those two enemies threatening the Teen Titans were Sportsmaster and Cheshire!"

Artemis choked. "What?!" she gaped.

"No wonder the Titans didn't recognize them!" Dick exclaimed. "It was because the Titans never fought against them before, or ever heard of them!"

"That was two days ago," Superboy said. He growled and punched the screen. "This is boring!" he exclaimed. "I want some action! People are getting hurt because of us! I say we go out and confront the Light!"

"If we do that, out mentors will hunt us down, and when they finally catch up to us, they'll kill us themselves," said Rocket. "We need to find some other way."

Kaldur signed. "I guess there's nothing to do but wait," he said. "If we confront the Light now, we'll almost certainly be killed. We must wait at the right time and come up with a plan."

"Kaldur's right," Dick said. "I'll try talking to Batman and explain to him how this is our business."

"Did you tell him that you fell in love with a certain alien, though?" Wally asked mockingly.

Dick blushed and looked away. "No," he admitted.

"You need to tell him," Kaldur said. "It's not easy, but it's the right thing to do."

Dick took a deep breath. "Right, of course," he said. I'll go and call him. " He clicked a button on his wristwatch.

M'gaan suddenly flew away and returned with a tray of cookies. "Cookies are done! Snickerdoodles!" she announced enthusiastically.

"Cool! Dibs!" Wally exclaimed.

"Oh, no you don't!" Artemis laughed as she and the others rushed forward and began wrestling over the cookies. As they continued to fight playfully, they almost forgot about their troubles, and for a few moments, they felt at peace, like during old times.


	10. Chapter 10: The Talk

Dick clicked more buttons on his wristwatch. He was just about to call Bruce when he stopped. No. Telling him about Starfire was something big. It was something he should tell to him in person.

He hung up and went to find Red Tornado. He wished that he and the Team didn't need to get babied. Now they couldn't leave the mountain without permission.

When he found Red Tornado, he told him, "Hey, Tornado. I'm going to go to Wayne Manor to see Bruce. There is something I have to tell him. Is that okay with you?"

"Alright. But since the Light is after all of you, I'll have to accompany you. They might plan an ambush," he answered

Dick groaned. He hated the League treating him and the Team like little kids. "Fine."

A few minutes later, the two of them were outside Wayne Manor. Dick walked into the mansion, while Red Tornado stood guard outside.

Alfred, who was dusting the furniture, saw Dick, and a smile appeared on his face. "Hello, Master Dick. It's been a while."

Dick smiled and hugged him around the middle. "It's good to see you too, Alf. So, where's Bruce? There's something I have to talk to him about."

"I believe he is in the Batcave, sir. Probably doing the usual."

"Thanks, Alfred." Dick pressed the secret buttons to the grandfather clock and the secret passage the the Cave opened.

He walked down the stairs and noticed Bruce, as usual, typing on the computer. While he wore the cape, the cowl was off.

Bruce looked up from the sound of Dick walking down the stairs and stopped typing. "Dick?"

Dick took a deep breath. "Bruce...there is something I have to talk to you about."

"What is it, then?"

"Bruce...you know about the Teen Titans, right?"

Bruce nodded. "You told me about the members in your Team. Cyborg, Raven, Beast Boy, and..."

"...And Starfire," finished Dick. "Bruce, I..." He didn't know how to break it to him. "Bruce, Starfire and I are a couple."

The sentence threw Bruce off guard for a second. "What?"

Dick continued. "I fell in love with her a few days after I met her. I kept trying to deny my feelings for her, but after Tokyo, I just couldn't hold it all back anymore and I confessed how I felt for her. Since then, we've been dating."

He turned around and stared at his feet. "Bruce, I didn't even know I would fall in love with her. I didn't mean to. I never meant for that to happen. And...and I understand if I can't see her again." He waited for Bruce to get disappointed in him and give him a strict lecture about falling for someone he wasn't supposed to be with.

Instead, Bruce kneeled behind him and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Dick, we can't control who we love. Remember Selina Kyle? She was a burglar and I couldn't stop my feelings for her. No matter how many museum artifacts she stole, I still couldn't get rid of them. We can control how we act, but we can't control how we feel. Love is a complicated thing, Dick. It is one of the most complicated things on Earth."

Dick was surprised. Bruce understood how he felt? Why shouldn't he be scolding him right now? He was dating an alien he wasn't supposed to be with and it was very likely that he might not see her again.

He closed his eyes. "Bruce, Hawkman and Captain Atom said I might not see Starfire or the other Titans again. Are they right?"

Bruce hesitated. "The Light is still targeting you and the Team, Dick. Once the League stops them, you might be able see your other team again. I'm afraid I'm not entirely sure."

"The League? Bruce, it's not the League the Light wants, it's me and the Team! Can't you see that innocents are getting hurt and streets are getting destroyed because of us? Bruce, we meant what we said back on the Watchtower, we're going to face them. It's the only way," Dick said firmly.

"This isn't your decision, Dick-"

"We're ready, Bruce. We can't hide forever. The Light will eventually find us. Hiding is just a temporary solution. We need to find a permanent one. Coming out and facing them is the only way. It's the only solution!" Dick's voice rose to a shout.

"Absolutely not. Dick, you don't have to do this. The League are already working a solution," Bruce said in a firm voice. "The Team are better off under our watch."

"How many times do we have to tell you, Bruce? We can take care of ourselves!" Dick yelled. "We've done many missions before without the Justice League's help, and we even bought you all back to your senses when all of you were under the control of Vandal Savage. When me, Roy, Kaldur, and Wally were with the Titans, we didn't have you or their other mentors to guide them, and we led the team perfectly! Nothing bad happened to us!"

"That is a different matter. You were all wearing glamour charms-"

"Bruce, glamour charm or not, the Light know where we were formerly located now. Me and the Team can't blend in with the shadows for the rest of our lives. We have to step out into open. If we don't fight them ourselves, the Teen Titans might fall, more innocents will die, and more cities will be destroyed. We _have_ to do this." Dick balled his fists.

Bruce opened his mouth to say no, but then he looked into Dick's eyes. Instantly, he knew that he was fighting a battle with him and he was losing. There was nothing he could say or do to change his mind.

Did Dick have a point? What he said was true. If the Team kept hiding, the Teen Titans might be destroyed, innocents will be slaughtered, and more cities will fall. Both the League and Young Justice had to take action. But he couldn't let Dick do this. He was his son. The thought of losing him...it was just too agonizing. He wanted nothing more than to shout NO to Dick really loudly, and then lock him up in a safe room. But he knew if he did, Dick would go ballistic.

An idea popped in Bruce's head. This could work.

He spoke again. "Dick, I've reached a decision. You and the Team may go and encounter the Light, but not without the Justice League to assist and come with you all. You will all need the extra backup. We will go with all of you to fight the Light."

Dick threw his arms around Bruce, surprising him. "Thanks so much! You have no idea how grateful I am and how the Team will be! I swear, Connor's going to be in your debt for a few days!"

"Alright." Bruce wrapped his own arms around him. "I'll go contact the League now and tell them about this." He went over to the computer and started typing. He wasn't sure if all of the members were going to be 100% sure about the idea, but he knew that what Dick said was right. The Team couldn't hide forever.


	11. Chapter 11: About the Light

**Young Justice POV:**

"You're kidding us, right?" Conner said uncertainly. "You actually convinced Batman to have us face the Light and the only catch is the League coming with us to help?"

"No! I'm not joking!" Dick shook his head. "I swear, I'm not kidding! I don't know how, but I did it. Maybe it was the part of the Teen Titans' fall, innocents dying, and cities getting destroyed because of us hiding that woke him up."

Roy hesitated. "Are you sure? You really persuaded Batman to not have us hide anymore? We're really allowed to confront the Light if the whole League comes with us?"

Dick nodded. "Yeah. He told me so."

Wally whooped and threw confetti into the air, making everyone guess that Flash gave some more to him. "Really? We're free? OH YEAH!" he shouted.

Roy scowled at him, confetti settling into his hair. "Why does Barry keep giving him confetti? I swear, when I find him-"

Connor gave Dick a rare but genuine smile. "Thanks. You have no idea how I feel about being cooped up and being treated like a kid. Maybe just this once I'll thank your mentor."

"Woohoo!" cheered Wally, running all over the place. "So when do we leave?"

"I'm not sure, but Batman's contacting members of the League to tell them about the plan," Dick smiled. "I'll tell him that you all are in his debt."

"Wow, I just really can't believe you actually won an argument with Batman!" Artemis exclaimed. "How did you do it? I gotta learn something from you!"

"Hey, let's all not just thank Batman." Roy put an arm around Dick's shoulder. "Don't forget about a certain little bird that somehow managed to persuade him for us to come out of hiding." He laughed and gave Dick a noogie playfully.

"Thank you, Dick." Kaldur winked at him. "I will be in your debt for a long time."

Dick grinned at all of his friends. Something told him that not all of the League members will approve of Batman's decision, but he knew how persuading he could be.

Batman's face appeared on Dick's communicator. "I talked with the League. They approved of our decision."

"Really?" He grinned again. "Awesome!"

Wally whooped again and pumped his arms up into the air. "Oh yeah! We're free!"

Batman glared at him, but he said, "You all will meet us at the Watchtower tomorrow. Once everyone is there, we'll go encounter the Light."

"Yes!" Roy grinned.

Connor looked at Batman's face on the communicator. He looked a little hesitant, but he said, "Maybe just this once I'll thank you."

Batman didn't look too surprised. After all, Dick had told him that he was probably going to be in his debt for a few days. "Alright. Batman out." His face vanished and the screen turned back.

Wally continued to pump his arms in the air. "Man, I don't know how you convinced him to do this, but for now, I gotta find some way to thank you!"

Dick smiled at him. "You don't have to. Just all of us going to the Light together is enough."

No one in the Team could control their excitement. They were all finally getting some privileges, and might even be able to see the Teen Titans.

"Time for a celebration!" KF whooped. He was stuffing his face with something white and squishy.

Roy frowned. "Wally..." he said slowly, "What are you eating?"

"Marshmallows!" he beamed. Strewn all around the floor were two empty soda bottles, five candy wrappers, and three cupcake wrappers. The Team had been so caught up in their excitement that they haven't noticed the junk were there before.

The Team's eyes widened. Wally just had a ton of sugar. Last time when he only had three teaspoons, it took hours for it to wear off, and took an hour for Superboy, Aqualad, and Artemis to catch him and tie him up, but not before the training room had equipment lying in disarray all around the floor, the huge green couch overturned, and the kitchen badly dented and scorched from angry fists and exploding arrows.

Wally eyes suddenly widened and he started to vibrate. He dropped the bag of marshmallows. "Everythingisshaking!" he yelped. His feet began to shake and vibrate both at once, which meant he was preparing for a huge burst of speed. And he was facing towards their direction.

The other 7 members of the Team looked at each other and managed to say two words before the chaos started: "Oh no."

 **Teen Titans POV:**

Cyborg typed on the computer. Starfire flew up to him. "Any luck finding out about those two enemies who wanted our four missing friends?"

"Hang on, Star. I'm on it." The pictures of Sportsmaster and Cheshire appeared. He clicked on them.

He read: "Cheshire. Member of the Light. Deadly, silent, and assassin. Not someone you can truly trust." He turned to the next picture. "Sportsmaster. Member of the Light. Cares about his reputation, very strong fighter, and can't tolerate disobedience from someone."

"They're both members of the Light? What is the Light?" Beast boy asked curiously.

Cyborg opened a new tab, and typed research about the Light. But nothing came up.

Cyborg frowned and continued reading. "I'm not sure," he said slowly. "There's no information about them at all. It's like there's a firewall even I can't hack through."

"Whatever the Light is, I doubt they're friendly," said Raven. "Two members attacked us. They only wanted Robin, Kid Flash, Speedy, and Aqualad. They looked at the Teen Titans like we were chopped liver. I don't know what they want the four of them for, but since they're not friendly, I doubt it's something good."

"We'll have our friends first before this so-called Light gets to them!" Starfire said determinedly. "If they are not friendly, then something terrible could happen to them!"

"Star, we don't even know where they are," Raven reminded her. "They disappeared without a trace, and knocked us out so we wouldn't see where they went."

"We can't give up! We were told that they were out of the city! We'll have to look somewhere far from Jump City!" she said, determined to see Robin again.

"Star has a point. We'll just have to take our search in another city that's far away from this one," Cyborg said. He tapped on his communicator. "Cyborg to Bumblebee. We're taking our search into another city."

"Another city?" Bumblebee sounded shocked. "Well...Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, and Speedy don't seem to be in this city. Alright, I'll go look somewhere else. Bumblebee out."

Cyborg called all the other members of the Titans East. They too, agreed to search in another city.

"Alright, they're searching in other cities. Where should we go?" Beast Boy asked.

"We're heading to the west. I'm not sure if the four of them are there, but it's worth a try," Cyborg said, standing up. "Starfire's right. We can't give up yet. The Teen Titans aren't complete without Kid Flash, Aqualad, and Speedy as our teammates and Robin as our leader."


	12. Chapter 12: The Attack on Jump City

**Young Justice POV:**

The Team stood on the Watchtower, waiting for the entire League to show up.

This was it. Today they were going to face the Light. It was defeat or be defeated.

After standing in silence for what seemed like forever, Zatanna spoke up. "Guys? This is it. We're going to face the Light. You think we'll win?"

"We have the entire Justice League to assist us," said Kaldur. "I think we'll be all right."

Dick wanted to speak, to ask them if they thought they would be able to see the Teen Titans, especially Starfire, but the question wouldn't come out. That was because he asked a lot of the League members and the closest answer to a yes was "We don't know."

After what seemed like forever, the Justice League showed up.

Barry put his hand on Wally's shoulder. "Kid, are you sure you want to do this? I mean, this is really risky..."

"Uncle Barry, we're ready," Wally said determinedly. "If we don't this, more innocents lives will be lost, and more cities will fall."

"For once, I'm glad my father isn't here," Zatanna said. "He wouldn't agree with Batman, no matter anyone did."

"Doctor Fate." Robin suddenly spoke. "Do you still have the glamour charms?"

He nodded, looking confused. "Yes. What do you need them for?"

"Well...now that the Light is terrorizing Jump City, and that's where the Teen Titans are..." Robin turned to look at Red Arrow, Aqualad, and Kid Flash, who nodded at him. "The four of us feel that we owe them an explanation for leaving them. They wouldn't exactly recognize us like this, especially Aqualad. They don't even know our real names and what we really look like without our masks."

"That's true," Red Arrow said. He turned to Green Arrow. "I'm going to need my Speedy uniform."

"Well, it's a good thing I still have it." Green Arrow held up the uniform. He smiled at him. "I never thought that you would want to dress up at Speedy again."

"This time, I have to. It's the only way the Titans will recognize me. Just no taking photographs, or I'll stuff an arrow in your face." Red Arrow took the costume and went to change as Doctor Fate gave Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad glamour charms. The three of them slipped the charms over their heads.

They didn't look different, but everyone knew that to them, they still looked like themselves.

Soon, Roy returned, wearing his Speedy uniform, minus the hat. "So, are we ready to go or what?"

Batman beckoned towards the zeta tubes. "Now."

He closed his eyes for a few seconds. He almost wanted to change his mind. But he knew that he couldn't. The Team and the League had to do this. It was the only way.

Everyone went over the tubes and started transporting to Jump City in them. Since there were a lot of League members coming, some of them had to wait their turns.

This was it. No turning back.

 **Teen Titans POV:**

The Titans and the Titans East met back at the Tower.

"Any luck with any of you?" Jinx asked hopefully. "Because I sure didn't have any."

Everyone shook their heads.

"We looked to the west." Raven was frustrated. "They weren't there."

Cyborg groaned. "Where could they be?"

"Come on, a few more cities isn't gonna hurt!" urged Beast Boy. "I can't track them, but we still can't give up on them!"

"Beast Boy, we looked everywhere." Raven put a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe we should just...move on." As soon as she said it, she wished she could use her own powers against her.

"No!" Starfire said fiercely. "They have to be somewhere! Beast boy's right! We must search more cities."

"Starfire, I can sense them, but nothing deep enough to be linked with their consciousness."

Mas and Menos chattered determinedly. Even though no one could understand what they were saying, they could tell that they weren't willing to give up either.

Suddenly, they heard loud noises that sounded like destruction outside. They ran to look out the window.

Outside was utter chaos. People were screaming and running. Streets were given the illusion of a huge earthquake. Houses and buildings lay in rubble and debris.

"What is going on?" Starfire gasped. The Titans ran outside to see who was causing the destruction.

They heard several different voices shout, "Where are they?! Where are the 4 original sidekicks?!"

The peeked around a corner. Instantly, they felt shock.

Nine strange creatures were causing all of the damage. They were wrecking cars, attacking at people, and crumbling buildings. Only an ape with a scar on his face appeared to be calm.

They had no idea who they were, but then they noticed Sportsmaster and Cheshire.

Cyborg's eyes widened. "Sportsmaster and Cheshire! They're in a team! Guys, I don't know and think I'm right, but..." he lowered his voice. "I think they're the Light."

 **Young Justice POV:**

The Team and the League stepped off the zeta tubes. Shock went through their minds when they saw the destruction and chaos.

"Are too late?" Rocket asked anxiously.

"I don't think so," Batman answered. "Keep all your guards up."

"Look! There's the Light!" M'gaan pointed at the nine members of the Light. They were wrecking everything in their way. Only Vandal Savage seemed calm.

Wally's eyes widened when he saw them. "Uh...someone please tell me we don't have to go against the entire Light."

"Unfortunately, we have to," Batman said grimly.

The Team looked at the League. _Now?_

They nodded back. _Now._

Without hesitating, they charged.

 **Teen Titans POV:**

"The Light?" Starfire gasped. "What makes you so sure, Cyborg?"

"Sportsmaster and Cheshire are members of the Light," Cyborg said grimly. "If they're in this team, then that means this is the Light."

"Whoa!" Beast Boy ducked to avoid a flying car. "You sure were right, Raven! They don't seem friendly!"

"Where are they?!" shouted Ra's al Ghul, swinging his sword around. "Where are the four sidekicks?!"

Immediately, all of the Titans ran in front of them.

"Stop!" shouted Starfire. "Don't you see all the damage you're doing?"

Sportsmaster chuckled as soon as he saw them. "Well. It's you all again."

"Why are you doing this?" shouted Beast Boy. "We don't know where the four people you're looking at are."

"Perhaps they need more convincing, just as before," said Cheshire. She turned to the rest of the Light. "Shall we?"

But before they could reply, there came several loud voices shouting, "Stop!"

All of the Light and the Teen Titans looked up. Standing on some rooftops were a huge group of superheroes. Most of the superheroes looked like adults, but some looked like teenagers.

"Enough! You want us, you got us!" shouted all of the teenagers.

The Teen Titans each got a good look at four of the teenagers, and they looked so shocked that they looked like their jaws were going to drop to the ground.

Starfire was shocked too, but she had her eyes on only one teenager. One with black hair, and wearing a red, yellow, and green uniform.

 _It couldn't be...could it?_

Finally, one, mere word no louder than a whisper escaped her lips.

"Robin?"


	13. Chapter 13: Aqualad Exposed

"Enough! We're here!" shouted Robin.

The Teen Titans tried to form some words, but not one word came from either of them. They were just too shocked. They stared at Aqualad, Speedy, Kid Flash, and Robin. All of them had angry looks on their faces.

The Teen Titans couldn't see the rest of the Team and the Justice League, since they're all hidden themselves in the shadows, ready to spring out at the right timing. Their mentors haven't been exactly happy about this type of plan, but they had to admit it was the most logical and best one. Fortunately, they were all linked telepathically by Martian Manhunter and Miss Martian.

"Well, well," chuckled Sportsmaster. "Looks like the rabbits have shown themselves in front of the wolves. However, there're five other rabbits missing. Are they hiding and cowering like tiny babies?"

Kid flash clenched his fists. "Don't hurt the Titans!" he called out to the Light. "We're the ones you want, not you!"

"I've...I've never seen Kid flash look so serious," Jinx whispered, astonished.

The four original sidekicks were all standing their ground bravely, but inside they're shaking and quivering at not facing the entire Light, but their friends.

 **"Look! There's Jinx! And Bumblebee! And Mas and Menos! And..." Wally's eyes widened. "The entire group of the Teen Titans are here!"**

 **"Kid...what are you..." began Kaldur, but then he looked up towards the sky, and his eyes widened. "Oh my God."**

The entire fleet, the entire team the Teen Titans appeared, had showed up. Cyborg and the others must've radioed them about their disappearance, and the must've went to Jump City for a meeting.

They could see Thunder and Lightning, Wilderbeast, Hot Spot, and everyone else appearing out from above the clouds and behind buildings. If the Justice League and the Team showed themselves, it'll look like an entire army of meta-humans, enough to take out an entire nation.

"Is that Robin, and the others?" the sidekicks heard one of the Titans murmur. "I thought they were missing."

 **"My goodness..." M'gaan gasped, camouflaged in the shadows. "This is the entire team, the Teen Titans?!"**

 **"Holy moly," Rocket gaped, her eyes the size of tea saucers. "You guys really are busy forming another Junior Justice League!"**

 **"My god, Wally," Barry's jaw had trouble picking itself up from the floor. "This is your entire team?! How did you...when...how..."**

 **"Well..." Wally scratched the back of his head uneasily. "It's kind of a long story."**

 **"Impressive," Wonder Woman said, a proud smile on her face. "Not even Athena or Ares can form an entire new army within a few months with such powerful new meta-humans."**

"Hmm...it is true," Vandal Savage suddenly spoke, his face expression looking impressed. "You've really been busy forming a new team. All of you members have been in hiding for months, unable to find you. But no more."

Lex Luthor stepped up. "My boys...you don't really trust your new team, do you?"

"Shut up! Of course we do!" Speedy snarled.

"Oh really?" Queen Bee spoke up. "If so, how come they don't seem to know that you've already formed a team before them, and that those pathetic disguises are not really what you look like?"

"Robin...what is she talking about?" Starfire asked, hovering in the air, a starbolt in each hand. She wanted nothing more than to fly at top speed over to Robin, flung her arms around him, give him a huge kiss, and never let him go, ever. However, she'll have to go past the sinister members of an evil society called the Light, and they looked pretty strong.

"Give up, Savage," Robin growled. "In case you haven't noticed, you're all dangerously outnumbered."

"Oh really?" Ra al Ghul said, tilting his head to the side slightly. "Let me help you rephrase that."

Dozens of helicopters suddenly swooped down from the sky, and hundreds of armed soldiers leapt from the flying vehicles, with ladders extending to the ground.

Pedestrians nearby screamed and ran. Cars swerved away. Some of the people ran away. Others just stood where they were, too petrified with terror and fear to move to safety.

Cyborg's eyes widened. "Ra's al Ghul and Lex Luthor?!" He immediately knew this was no joke. Ra's al Ghul was a formidable enemy that you do not want to mess with, and possibly even more deadlier than Slade. Lex Luthor was the president of Metropolis, and he was always very scheming. He always had a plan slipped up his sleeve.

"Ra al Ghul?!" spluttered Beastboy, his eyes looking like they were about to pop out of their head. "The Ra al Ghul?! No way..."

The rest of the Team stepped out.

"We're here now! Happy now?" growled Artemis. "Now stop all of this!"

"Very," smirked Vandal Savage.

"Wait a minute." Hot Spot frowned and looked at Superboy, Miss Martian, Artemis, Zatanna, and Rocket. "Who're in the world are those newbies?"

"Newbies?" Connor growled, clenching his fists. "We've been crime fighting way longer than you guys have!"

"Robin!" Raven called suspiciously. "What is going on, and who are those new kids that just stepped out of nowhere?"

"Kids?" Artemis growled. "We're not kids!"

"Some of you look just like children," Black Manta said, walking towards them. The Team slowly backed up, wary, as though he'll shoot lasers out of his eyes any moment. "But that disguise you're wearing Aqualad, makes you look so immature. Perhaps if I fix you up..."

Aquaman stepped forward, fists raised, ready to defend his protege, but Superman put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. Superman didn't say anything, but the message in his eyes and face expression was clear: Not yet. Wait for the right timing.

Batman, on the other hand, was impatient. His gaze was fixed upon his son, crouched down, ready to spring into action to protect Robin at any cost.

Black Manta was getting closer to the Team. Starfire, Beastboy, Cyborg, and Raven ran forward, but Wilderbeast put a hand in front of them to stop them. He shook his head.

"Not yet," Kole said, holding her hands with her partner. "If that guy wearing black wanted to hurt them, do you think he'll be walking towards them? He's making himself and easy target."

Raven scowled and reluctantly stepped back. Starfire was quivering in anticipation to fly over to Robin's side.

Black Manta was heading over to Aqualad. The other closed in on him, and Kaldur put his hands on his hips, trying to stare him down, despite being several inches shorter. He wanted to break out his water bearers, but he was wearing the glamour charm, and his weapons were invisible. If he tried to take them out now, it'll look like he pulled them out of thin air.

However, Black Manta stopped right in front of Aqualad. He studied him from head to toe.

Aqualad frowned. "What? What are you staring at?" he asked, trying to maintain his silly personality of the new Aqualad, trying to keep all seriousness out of his voice.

Aquaman scowled and stepped forward, but Black Canary pulled him back. "Not yet..." she whispered. "Not yet..."

After a moment of silence, Manta finally spoke; "A wise choice to disguise yourself, Aqualad," he said. "You don't look like yourself at all, and that foolish new personality of yours got us the most fooled. I'm...impressed. Nothing looks out of the ordinary. However..." His eyes flitted toward the visible, gleaming glamour charms.

The Team realized too late of what Black Manta was going to do. They only had time for Robin to cry out, "No!", Kid flash's eyes widen, and Aqualad's let out a gasp of horror, before Manta grabbed the charm at Kaldur's throat and ripped it away from his neck.

Instantly, the disguise came off. The skin became darker, the hair became shorter and lighter, the shoulders grew more broad, the chest more muscular, the eyes to a silver color, water-bearers appearing on his back, his feet becoming barefoot, a symbol appearing on his belt, and his shirt becoming short-sleeved and the color red.

Kaldur looked up in shock, terror, and disbelief that the charm was snatched away so quickly.

Vandal Savage only managed to utter one word before the confusion set in: "Aqualad."


	14. Chapter 14: End of the Fight

The rest of the Light and the entire group of the Teen Titans all stared at Aqualad as though he had just managed to survive in the Sahara Desert for an entire month without food, water, shelter, and shade.

"I-I don't understand! W-what happened to Aqualad?!" spluttered Bumblebee.

"How-when-where-why-"stammered Cyborg gaped at Kaldur, who had gone back to his true form.

"Is...is that really Aqualad?" gasped Starfire.

Aqualad clutched his neck from where the glamour charm had been. "No." His cover had been blown.

"...No freakin' way," Beast Boy managed to squeak out, to shocked to speak much.

Aquaman clutched his trident. He was getting impatient and he had to control his rage. He wanted to run out of the shadows and pummel Black Manta until he started bleeding, but he held himself back.

Every single one of the Teen Titans and Titans East were gazing at no one but Kaldur. He felt uncomfortable with all the stares he was getting. But he knew there was no use in coming up with a lie about his form and the glamour charm. It was too late.

Raven raised her eyebrow at him. _"This_ is Aqualad? He looks...different."

"Hold on a minute!" Panther called up from above a rooftop. He narrowed his eyes at Robin and Kid flash. He pointed toward the two of them suspiciously. "Those two are also wearing those strange charms. Aqualad's appearance drastically changed when it was taken off. Do you think those necklaces give them some kind of disguise or mirage of how they really look like?"

"Of course," Ra al Ghul snatched the torn glamour charm away from Black Manta. He squinted at the gemstone. "This is a glamour charm, created to disguise someone, altering their appearances to making look like a completely different person."

"Which means the Bird Boy and the speedster don't really look like that," Queen Bee purred. "I told you they didn't really trust you."

"Kid flash...Robin...is that true?" Jinx's voice was barely more than a whisper. Her voice sounded confused, shocked, and a little hurt. Her expression was on of utter disbelief.

Robin blushed. Kid flash gained a sudden interest in his shoes. Speedy nervously fingered the string on his bow.

There was an awkward silence. Then finally Robin spoke.

"Um...well..."he stammered, his cheeks flushing an even more brighter red.

"No matter," Black Manta raised his hand. "I've been itching to get my revenge on Aqualad, and maybe I'll get those glamour charms from those two too." He brought his fist down to strike Kaldur'ahm on the head.

Aquaman instantly snapped. He leapt out from the shadows, and tacked into Black Manta full-force, sending the two of them barreling away from Kaldur, wrestling and trying to strike each other while rolling on the ground, trying to gain the upper hand.

As soon as Aquaman became visible to everyone, all chaos broke loose. The entire League swept out from the shadows, and threw themselves at the Light and their henchmen and soldiers. There were now so much meta-humans they seemed to block out the sunlight.

All of the Titans and the Titans East gaped at the Justice League, who were fighting for their proteges.

"Whoa...did they bring their own army?" gaped Beast Boy.

"Hold on..." Cyborg squinted at the fight. As soon as he saw some of the most famous superheroes, which were Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and more, his eyes widened. "Guys...I think this is the Justice League!" He heard all about the Justice League and what they did.

 _"The_ Justice League? You've got to be kidding," Beast Boy's mouth continued to dangle open. "How did they gather the entire League? Not even we can do that!"

"Let them go." Batman threw aside a soldier and glared at Vandal Savage. "You only wanted them to hurt us. If you stay away from them, we'll come with you willingly. No funny business."

"Batman, don't!" Robin cried out. He clenched his fists. He couldn't let his father and the entire League do this.

Klarion smirked. "Oh, so the little brats want some attention? They have it." He swept his hand, and with a yelp, Robin went flying though the air and crashed into Zatanna. Both of them went flying backwards and banged against a brick wall. They both immediately crumpled to the floor.

With a roar of anger, Batman pulled out one of his exploding batarangs and threw it at Klarion. However, when the smoke cleared after it had struck its target, Klarion looked completely unharmed while clutching Teekl in his arms.

"Stay close to me, Kid!" Flash cried loudly as he bypassed Wally and tacked three enemy soldiers at once.

"Robin!" Starfire flew over to an unconscious Robin and Zatanna. "Robin, can you hear me?"

Zatanna got up to her feet, wincing. She could feel a big bruise on her head. If her father was here right now, he would've hit Klarion with everything he had.

Grimacing, Robin got up to his knees. He and Zatanna had only been knocked out for about thirty seconds. Feeling something warm trickle down his face, he stared at Batman. "It's...it's fine." Spots danced in front of his eyes, but they faded away quickly.

Starfire gasped. "Robin! You're bleeding!" His forehead was covered in blood. The cut looked so deep that both Starfire and Batman knew that he had to go to the hospital to get stitches.

Batman rushed over, pulled a bandage from his belt, and pressed it on his forehead. "This will slow the bleeding. I don't have anything else. As soon as this fight is over, you're going to the hospital."

"I'm fine. Really. It's not like I got a concussion or something," Robin reassured.

There was a sudden blast, and Miss Martian, letting out a cry of pain, landed to the ground next to Zatanna. Her uncle hastily flew over and checked her over for critical injuries.

"Robin!" Dick heard Starfire yell. "What does this necklace do?" And suddenly her hands were reaching for the charm on his neck. He yelped and backflipped away.

"Not yet!" he exclaimed. "Not yet, Starfire, we'll talk later!" And then he ran after Batman, ready to assist his mentor. He heard Starfire calling his name, but he pushed all of his guilt aside. He was with Batman, his mentor, his father again! They were the Dynamic Duo again! As they both took down soldiers pleasant memories of taking down lowly criminals while fighting alongside Batman in Gotham flashed through his head.

"Best. Day. EVER!" he heard Kid flash whoop toward the sky.

Superboy punched at Klarion, but he just swept his hand again and he went flying into Superman's back, knocking both of them down.

Both Roy and Artemis shot arrows with explosives at the same time, causing a big explosion and sending many soldiers flying.

Both the Titans and the Titans East joined the fight, aiding the Justice League and the Team. They could already see that the Light was not a team to say "hi" to.

"Seems like we've clearly underestimated those children. They called in reinforcements," Vandal Savage murmured. "But no more."

Klarion thrust out his hand and created a portal. "See you all later!" he cackled immaturely, leaping into the portal with the other members of the Light following them.

The portal grew smaller as the last member disappeared and vanished. The last of the soldiers were taken down and knocked out.

This was it. The fight was over. The Light was gone.

Aqualad, Speedy, Kid Flash, and Robin almost wished that the fight hadn't ended, because now the entire Titans were coming towards them, looking like they wanted to talk to them. They knew that there was no point in lying or running away.

Robin took a deep breath, facing the Titans. "We're...sorry. We really didn't want to leave." He turned to Kid Flash. "I, um...think we should tell them the truth about us."

"Well, you guys have a looooot to explain," Raven said impatiently.

Starfire's urge to go fly over to Robin was overwhelming, but Batman was standing almost in front of him, in a very protective manner, like a bodyguard.

Beastboy suddenly dashed up to Superman and held out a pen and notebook.

"Dude, I'm a HUGE fan!" he gushed excitedly. "Can I have your autograph?"

Superman chuckled and ruffled his hair. "Maybe later, Beastboy. Robin, Kid flash, Aqualad, and "Speedy" would like to explain to you guys in person of what is going on."

Green Arrow started sniggering when he heard the name "Speedy."

"Hey," Speedy grumped. "Make fun of me and you'll earn a free vacation to the hospital." That last comment only made Oliver laugh harder.

Aqualad raised his come and beckoned them to come over to them. "Come," he said. His voice and face expression had completely changed. His demeanor was now extremely serious, and there was no recognition or hint of the previous Aqualad. "You all deserve a well-deserved explanation. Let's go discuss this in the League's headquarters in the Hall of Justice, shall we?"

The Teen Titans were all trembling in anticipation. Finally they were going to be able to understand what was going on, and as a bonus, they even got to meet the Justice League. THE Justice League! They wanted nothing more to get some signatures and photographs, but now was not the time.

The entire Titans group started walking and heading toward the League and the Team to follow them for a long talk.


	15. Chapter 15: Reunited

The Titans and the Team sat down in the Hall of Justice. The League had left the room to give them some alone time, though Batman kept watching suspiciously from a distance.

Beast Boy fidgeted nervously. "Uh...why does he keep staring at us?"

"Don't mind him," Robin assured. "He's just being little overprotective. Okay, make that a lot overprotective."

"Over who?" Raven asked.

"Me," he answered. "Don't mind him." He turned and glared back at Batman. "Br-I mean, Batman, can you give the Team and the Titans some alone time?"

"It's better to have backup if anything goes wrong," said Batman, not moving from his spot.

"Batman, please," Kaldur reasoned. "The Titans are our friends. You can trust them. They deserve an explanation of what happened. We promise we'll be alright."

Batman hesitated, then reluctantly walked over to the exit.

Jinx crossed her arms. "Well?" she asked.

The Team exchanged nervous looks.

"So...um...where do you think we should start?" Wally asked nervously.

"Maybe during our party in Mount Justice, KF, the night where we were forced to leave," Robin suggested.

Bumblebee looked confused. "KF? You call Kid flash KF?"

"Yep! That's his nickname for me!" KF grinned.

"M'gaan, can you show them what happened?" asked Aqualad. "We'll show you our memories with the Titans."

"M'gaan nodded, and her eyes began to glow green. Instantly, everyone's heads were flooded with memories at New Year's Eve, all the way to when Robin, Aqualad, Kid flash, and Speedy attacked the Titans.

 _5 minutes later:_

The Titans broke away from the hold from M'gaan's link.

"My...oh god..." Raven muttered.

"So that's how you formed the Titans," Rocket said, looking impressed.

"Look, even though we already had a team, we love you guys the same," Speedy reassured. "So don't worry."

"And that explains your appearance," said Bumblebee, glancing at Kaldur.

"So, how did you all form the Team?" Beast Boy asked, interested.

"Well, if it weren't for Aqualad, Robin, and Kid Flash, none of us would be here," said Artemis, smiling at Wally. He sent her a playful grin in her direction.

"It's a long story, but it all started on Independence Day last year when we freed Superboy from Cadmus," said Robin.

M'gaan's eyes glowed green again, and she showed everyone the day of Independence Day, all the way when they first met Artemis.

"Whoa," Beast Boy exclaimed. "You guys must have a skill for forming teams!"

"So..." Cyborg's eyes flitted to the glamour charms around Kid Flash's and Robin's necks. "When Aqualad, got those charms taken off, he turned into a completely different person. Does this mean you two are in disguise too?"

Kid Flash nodded. "Yeah, but it was for our safeties, not because we didn't trust you," he said quickly. "We trust all of you with our lives."

"Then...are you two allowed to take them off?"

"So then...what do you really look like?" Raven asked, leaning forward eagerly.

"Oh, yes, you must be very handsome!" Starfire gushed.

Robin blushed. KF and Speedy snickered. Aqualad and Superboy each had an amused smile on their faces.

Robin and Kid flash both stood up, and then, slowly, they removed the charms. Instantly, the disguise wore off, revealing how they really looked like. Although they were some similarities, unlike Aqualad, they still somehow managed to look completely different.

"Wow, Robin, Kid flash," breathed Jinx. "You look wonderful the way you are!"

"Man..."Bumblebee's jaw was slack. "You think Kid flash looks even cuter now? Check out Robin's perfect features."

Starfire was unable to hold back a gasp. Robin had always been kind of handsome. He had been handsome enough to attract most girls from Jump City, and gained unwanted attention and creepy affection from Kitten. But now, without the glamour charm altering his appearance, he was now seriously ADORABLE.

His skin looked so soft that Starfire wanted to reach out and caress his cheek. His hair was now an ebony black that suited his perfectly shaped jawline and cheekbones wonderfully. And she had to admit, the darker colors on his Robin suit, all the black and dark red without any green, suited him much better, making him look more older and even more handsome. Even though he seemed kind of short, it somehow made him look even cuter.

"Check Robin out. He's hot," she heard a female Titans whisper.

Starfire walked up and clasped both of Robin's hands in hers.

"You don't have to disguise yourself in front of me," she said soothingly. "It doesn't matter how you look. You look perfect the way you are."

"I do for my safety, and for my friends," he said, stepping away. His voice had changed drastically. "This is what me and KF really look like. I just hope you can accept us this way."

"So...do I look any better?" Wally grinned cheekily. His blue eyes had turned a summer leaf green, his hair had turned red, and his face now dotted with freckles. He wasn't too bad looking himself, and he had fine-shaped muscles and abs under his shirt. However, Robin's appearance somehow looked more appealing.

"What about you?" Cyborg turned to Speedy. "I know you're not wearing one of those charms, but is that really what you look like?"

"Not really." He reached to take off his shirt, since he had hidden his Red Arrow uniform underneath it, but before he could take it off, Robin and Kid Flash snapped a picture of him with a camera Wally had in his pocket.

"Rob! KF!" Speedy yelled angrily as both Robin and Kid Flash burst into peals of laughter.

"Hey, we missed you as Speedy. This is just for memory," sniggered Kid Flash. He was laughing so hard that he could barely hold the camera straight, while Robin was doubling over.

The Titans were all shocked by Robin's laugh. They had barely ever even seen him genuinely smile. For Starfire, his laugh was one of the most wonderful things she had ever heard.

Speedy glared at Robin, and Kid Flash. "If you two show that to Green Arrow, I'm going to kill both of you." He turned back to the Titans, took off his Speedy uniform, revealing his Red Arrow costume, and messed up his hair, turning it back into Red Arrow's hairstyle.

"So _that's_ really what you look like?" Raven stared at him up and down. "This is a nice look."

"Thanks. And it's not Speedy. Speedy belongs with Green Arrow. I'm Red Arrow."

"Ohh-kay...Red Arrow," Beast Boy said hesitantly.

"Mmm...fine-looking muscles you've got there," said Bumblebee, studying his muscled forearms.

"Alright then, _Speedy_ ," sniggered Robin. Kid flash giggled. Aqualad tried to hide a smile. The rest of the Team tried to hide their chuckles.

"FOR THE LAST FREAKING TIME, IT'S RED ARROW!" the ex-Speedy barked. He threw his hands up in exasperation. "Why can't anyone get it right?"

Aqualad turned to the Titans East and the Team. "Can you all leave for a moment?" He stared at Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy. "We need to talk to them."

The Titans East and the Team looked hesitant, but they all nodded and left.

Raven turned to Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, and Speedy-or rather, _Red Arrow,_ and raised an eyebrow. "So...what do you four want to talk to us about?"

Robin took a deep breath. "We...want to apologize."

Beast Boy threw his arms in the air. "Finally we get one! First, you four knock us out, you disappear without leaving a trace, you left us without a leader, and-ow!" Raven elbowed him hard to shut him up.

Kid Flash sighed. "That's okay, I guess we deserved it."

Robin stared at Starfire. "Star...I'm really sorry. You... you deserve someone better than me."

Starfire flew over to Robin and cupped his face in her hands. She said gently, "Robin...I am glad that you apologized, but...I do not want to be with anyone else. I want _you."_

Robin was shocked. After ditching her with no explanation, she still loved him?

He sighed. "Starfire, I didn't want to leave you. I really didn't. I had no choice."

"Glad you all apologize, but..." Cyborg held up the Flying Graysons poster. "Robin, we have a question. When did you become interested in the circus?"

Robin's mouth dropped open. "Have you been poking around in my room?"

"Sorry, dude." Beast Boy chuckled nervously. "We were just looking around for clues."

"Robin, why do you have this poster in your room?" Cyborg asked curiously.

Robin winced and looked down at his feet. His expression was unreadable as his shuffled his feet on the floor.

The Titans looked at each other, feeling concerned. Robin was never twitchy.

"He um, he likes the circus?" KF said tentatively, trying to help Robin out. Roy elbowed him. "Ow!" he protested.

"Way to go, Kid flash," Red Arrow snapped.

"Well?" Raven asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Umm..." Robin gulped. There were a few moments of awkward silence.

The Team glanced at one another just like the Titans. They knew this was an extremely painful subject for Robin and Dick Grayson. They wanted to help him out of the awkward situation, but weren't sure how, since Robin _did_ use to love the circus.

Finally Robin spoke up. "Look...guys," he said. "If I wanted you guys to know, I would've told you several minutes ago. I don't really want to talk about it."

"Why not?" Cyborg asked curiously.

"Yeah? How come someone likes you like the circus?" Beastboy asked. "You seem like the guy who prefers football and soccer."

Robin let out a pained gasp and looked away.

"Robin?" Starfire asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Is something wrong?"

 **"We should help him out," M'gaan said worriedly inside her mind.**

 **"But you know how sensitive he is when the subject comes to the circus," Artemis argued. "One wrong word and he'll probably start crying!"**

 **"He already looks like he's about to cry," Rocket said.**

 **"We're his friends. We need to help him out. Wally does that all the time." Zatanna said.**

"Um...guys...why are you all making faces at each other?" they heard Beastboy ask.

"We're speaking telepathically," Superboy explained quickly, glad that the subject was going away from the circus.

"Really? That's so cool!" Beastboy gushed excitedly. Robin shot Connor a relieved and grateful look.

"Well, since I'm a Martian, I have telekinesis. I can read minds," M'gaan explained.

"Man, I'm jealous," Cyborg said eagerly. "I'd love to pry into our enemies' minds and hear what they're thinking."

"I don't think we've properly introduced ourselves," said Aqualad. He beckoned toward the rest of the Team with his hand. "This is Superboy, Miss Martian, Artemis, Zatanna, and Rocket."

"Hey. What's up," Zatanna asked shyly, waving.

"It's nice to formally meet you all," Miss Martian greeted sincerely.

"C'mon, we'll show you around the Hall of Justice," Kid flash said, pointing towards the big screen with all the keyboards.

"Robin, a word?" Robin heard Starfire say.

"Uh, sure," Robin said. He smiled. "Finally feeling the aster."

The Teen Titans looked confused.

"Huh?" Bumblebee asked. "What kind of word is that?"

"Robin has a strange habit of taking away the first syllable of some words," Kid flash explained.

Starfire pulled Robin's hand and dragged him into an empty room.

She smiled. "We've got some catching up to do."


	16. Chapter 16:Showing Around

"...And here's the big screen!" Wally said, beckoning his arms towards a screen.

"Wow, this hall has probably more interests than Titans Tower!" Beast Boy said, looking around the Hall of Justice eagerly. "Man, you guys are so lucky that you can contact the Justice League whenever you want to!"

Just then, Robin and Starfire came around a corner. Robin's hair looked messy, his clothes were wrinkled, and his lips were a bit moist. Starfire just looked really happy.

"Whoa..." Red Arrow snickered as he stared at Robin. "What happened to you?"

Bumblebee grinned at both of them. "So, did you guys enjoy your little makeout session?'

"Um...I wouldn't call it little," Robin mumbled, while Starfire kept a tight grip on his hand.

Both Kid Flash and Red Arrow chuckled. Being Robin's brothers, they knew what happened. Starfire had thrown herself all over him.

"Did you guys have a good time?" sniggered Artemis. "It looks like you guys have been busy."

"Yeah, maybe you could say that," Robin muttered, his face turning red. He turned and looked at Starfire. "Star, remember here on Earth, we're a bit too young to start 'doing it' yet."

Wally burst out laughing when he heard it. Artemis giggled harder. There was an amused smile on Kaldur's face.

"On my home planet, our age is legal," Starfire protested.

"Well, this isn't Tamaran, Starfire," Robin said. "And here we're waaay too young."

"Just how old are you?" Cyborg asked curiously.

"Classified," said Robin.

"Speaking about that, hey Kid flash..." Jinx sent him a flirty smile.

"Um..."KF stammered, his face turning red. Everyone chuckled at his nervous and embarrassed expression. "I...well...uh..."

"You got him speechless," Connor said, raising an eyebrow, looking surprised and impressed. "You actually got him speechless. Do you know how hard it is to get him to shut up and stay quiet?"

"Why don't we show them Mount Justice?" M'gaan asked excitedly.

"What's Mount Justice? Is that another one of your secret bases?" Beastboy asked.

"Eh, you can't quite see it yet," Zatanna said, looking sheepish.

"Why not? Is something wrong?" Raven asked suspiciously.

"Well..." the Team all looked at KF. He shuffled his feet sheepishly.

 **"This is all your fault. You just** ** _had_** **to run around the entire mountain and make it look like a tornado had hit the place while Superman and Doomsday were fighting, with Black Canary sonic screaming at Ollie for being such a stupid head, do you?" accused Roy.**

 **"Hey, it wasn't that bad, right? Besides, we cleaned ourselves up, and got up to the Watchtower without our mentors suspecting a thing," Wally protested.**

 **"Not that bad? You were running around the mountain for five hours!" Rocket snapped.**

 **"You tore up my favorite jacket!" Robin snapped.**

 **"You think that's bad? Wally, you knocked us all off our feet multiple times, but you knocked me and Kaldur off our feet 27 times! At LEAST!" Connor snapped. "I actually got a bruise on the back of my neck from falling down so many times, and I'm supposed to be indestructible!"**

 **"Hey! I'm sorry!" Wally protested. "It was so hard to stand still! If I didn't move, the desire and pressure will kill me!"**

 **"There was no reason to go in our direction, though," Kaldur said. "That was quite a strong breeze, and I landed on my head five times in a row once."**

 **"If we weren't dating Baywatch, I would so kill you," said Artemis.**

"Er, are you guys ignoring us?" they heard Bumblebee say. "Why are you making faces at each other?"

"They're speaking telepathically. Remember?" Raven said.

"We'll show you Mount Justice, but first we need to clean up," Aqualad said. He turned and glanced at KF. "Though you will be doing most of the work."

"Next time you're going to eat something sweet, at least do it outside," Red Arrow grumped. "My hair was a mess afterwards. It took an entire gallon of hair gel to get my hair flat to disguise myself as Speedy again!"

"So you're saying it's Kid flash's fault your base is a mess," summarized Cyborg.

"That's cause it is!" Robin cackled. "You, my pal, are going to clean the entire mountain. We'll help, but you'll do most of the work."

"Oh, come on!" KF protested. "It'll take hours to clean up the Mountain! Maybe even an entire day!"

"Well, at least you can get some alone time with Jinx. You'll have plenty of time to tell her the truth about yourself," M'gaan said, trying to look on the bright side of things.

"Yeah! I should tell her too!" Artemis piped up.

Jinx looked confused. "Tell me what?"

"We'll explain back at the mountain. Come on! The nearest zeta tube is only a mile away!" Zatanna said.

Starfire took Robin's hand and walked side to side with him as they followed Kaldur and the others.

"Please, what does your secret base look like?" she asked. Robin smiled. "Oh, you'll find out, and how great and cozy it is, right after we clean the mess KF created."

"It's not entirely my fault! You guys were the ones who kept throwing arrows and batarangs and other objects you could get your hands on at me! You guys even tipped over the couch to hide from me!" Kid flash protested.

"I'm sure you'll like Mount Justice. It has wonderful technology like Titans Tower, and has a very homelike feeling," Kaldur said. "Though not as homelike as Atlantis. Follow us to the zeta tube."

"Sure, but just one question. What the heck is a zeta tube?" Beastboy asked as he and the other Titans followed the Young Justice Team.


	17. Chapter 17: The Mess Confession

The League entered the Hall of Justice to see their friends just chilling out and relaxing.

Superman smiled. "It seems like both groups have already made amends."

"Superman, dude! Sign my shirt! Did I ever tell you I'm your biggest fan!" Beastboy gushed again, adoration in his eyes.

"Yes, you just told him at least 37 times," Raven muttered, annoyed.

Wonder Woman raised an eyebrow at her. "Is she always at this?" she asked Robin.

Robin shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much all the time. You get used to her sarcastic attitude though."

"Are you ready to show them Mount Justice?" Captain Marvel asked excitedly.

The Team suddenly had sheepish expressions on their faces. They gained an interest in their shoes and looked down at the ground.

"Guys?" Flash look confused. "What's up with y'all?"

They didn't answer. They all looked guilty.

"Is there something we should know?" Batman asked rather coolly.

"Um..."Robin said.

"Well..." KF stammered.

"Is there something else we should know? Tell us! We won't bite!" Beastboy joked, trying to lighten up the mood. Of course, like usual, his jokes only made the room feel darker.

"Aqualad, is there something bothering you? Please tell me," Aquaman said in a gentle but firm tone to show that he meant business.

Kaldur shuffled his feet uneasily. "My King, about the Cave...the Team and Kid flash may have accidently...trashed Mount Justice."

"Excuse me?" Aquaman crossed his arms.

"How, exactly?" asked Superman.

Green Arrow scowled at Roy accusingly. Roy swallowed nervously. He didn't fear Ollie at much when he was a kid anymore, but Ollie's stern expression suddenly made him want to crawl under a table and hide. He took a deep breath and scowled back. "Hey, don't blame us!" he snapped. "If Kid flash hadn't eaten all that sugar, he never would've vandalized Mount Justice! This is all your fault!" he accused, pointing at Kid Flash.

"Hey! Don't blame me! You guys messed up the mountain too!" KF defended. "You and Artemis kept shooting arrows at me trying to tie me up, and when you guys missed, you'd hit the couch, the wall, or the kitchen countertop! I can't believe you used an explosive arrow and made the kitchen explode! Seriously, are you guys trying to kill me?!"

"So, let me get this straight," Black Canary said. "When Kid flash ate a lot of sugar and junk food, he got really...hyper, as you teenagers would call it, and you guys ruined the mountain trying to slow him down, while Kid flash was knocking over everything and doing most of the damage."

"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up," Zatanna said.

"Hey! Rob, stand up for a bro, will you?" KF protested.

"When it comes to angry and upset Leaguers, it's every man for himself. Besides, it was kinda your fault," Robin chuckled.

"Wait, Kid flash gets hyper?" Jinx asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Connor scowled. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I can't believe I actually got a bruise. I'm supposed to be virtually indestructible..."

"You all are going to clean the mess up, even if takes you all day," Batman scowled. "Including you, Red Arrow."

"Oh, come on!" Roy complained. "I'm not an official member of the Team! Why do I still have to do the work?"

"Well, I wasn't the only one shooting arrows at Baywatch," Artemis said. She raised and eyebrow, looking impressed about something. "Robin and KF weren't kidding about you having a really huge, really terrifying, and uncontrollable temper tantrum. I'm surprised it didn't scare Wally. He and Rob must've been used to it by now."

"I'll delightfully help, fellow teammate Robin!" Starfire gushed, wanting to spend some more time with him.

"Thanks, Starfire," Robin smiled appreciatively. With the Titans help, cleaning up the huge mess KF created will be so asterous."

"I did not totally create ALL the mess!" Wally protested indignantly. "You guys helped too!"

Rocket rolled her eyes. "Fine, but you're doing most of the work, Mr. Speedster. It took Aqualad and Red Arrow four hours to unstick Red Tornado from the ceiling. Four whole hours straight!"

"I am very surprised about the intensity of your own tornado," Red Tornado spoke up. "Though it would've been more preferable to use that in battle, not around the Cave and sticking me onto the ceiling with superglue Robin created."

"KF, remember," Robin warned. "That superglue was supposed to stick androids like Red Volcano and Amazo the the floor and wall, not Red Tornado!"

"But I was dying to try it out!" KF whined.

Raven's face twitched. "You're beginning to act like Beastboy, which is like a seven-year old."

"Hey!" KF and Beastboy both protested simultaneously.

"Chillax, everyone. We'll help you clean up," Bumblebee said.

"Man, I can't wait to see you secret base!" Cyborg grinned.

M'gaan smiled sheepishly. "Well...it doesn't look like much now, but when it's cleaned up...you'll see."

"C'mon, we'll take you to the nearest zeta tube,"Green Arrow said. "I'll like to check out the Mountain myself, if it's really as bad as you claim it is."

"Bad?" Robin cackled. "It looks like Black Canary was screaming at Green Arrow for being an idiot, with Wonder Woman trying to strangle Batman and Green Lantern at the same, while Flash ate too many donuts and got hyper at KF, while Zatara chasing Zatanna around trying to make her come back to him, being the overprotective as he is, with Superman having a heated race with Martian Manhunter while trying to throw stuff at the other Leaguers who're driving him crazy, such as Captain Marvel! All at once!"

Flash gulped. "So...Mount Justice is in complete disarray now?"

"Yep," Rocket said.

"Let's go see for ourselves," Hawkman said, starting to head off.

 _10 minutes later:_

"Ta-da! Here we are!" Miss Martian cheered, pointing toward the zeta tube.

The Titans just stared blankly at where the tube was.

"Um...Martian girl, I mean, Miss Martian ma'am..." Bumblebee's voice trailed off. "That's just an old photo booth closed up decades ago."

"It's the zeta tube!" Miss Martian announced excitedly. "We use it to travel!"

"Er...exactly how?" Starfire looked confused. "If this is a spaceship this is much too small to fit all of us."

"No offense, guys, but I'm starting to think the Titans have way better stuff than the Team!" Cyborg bragged. "Seriously, you guys didn't even come up with a name for yourselves. Team? Really."

"Oh really?" Black Canary asked. "Then you do realize this is how Justice League members travel too, do you?"

Cyborg's smug smile was quickly wiped off his face. He gazed at his feet sheepishly. "Oh..well...really...I didn't mean...naw...any of that stuff..."

Robin cackled. "Here. let me demonstrate."

He stepped into the photo booth and closed the door. Instantly, a computerized voice said, _"Recognized, Robin, B-0-1."_ A yellow light engulfed the booth and Robin, and when the light vanished, Robin was gone.

Beastboy rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Cyborg's jaw hit the floor. Literally. Starfire hovered around the booth and peered in anxiously, trying to find Robin. Raven's eyes were the size of dinner plates. Bumblebee had dropped her stingers. And Mas and Menos looked as though they had just seen a vampire.

"Did...where...Robin...I...when..." Cyborg stammered.

"Ta-da!" KF proudly announced, taking a bow. "Zeta tube technology! No need to hitch an extra few thousand miles all the way from Washington, D.C, all the way to New England! You. Are. Welcome."

Starfire immediately flew in, eager to reunite with Robin. However, Batman put out a hand to stop her. "Hold," he said sternly, then started typing something on a keyboard that had hologrammed on his wrist.

Starfire blinked, looking hurt. "What? Why?"

"You are not recognized," Aquaman explained patiently. "If you waltz into the zeta tube now, you won't be recognized, and your access to transport to a different continent will be denied."

"Oh," Starfire stepped back, looking disappointed.

Batman set down his keyboard, and his hologram vanished. "You may enter now."

Starfire gleefully flew through the photo booth, pushing Kid flash out of the way. "Hey!" KF protested.

"Here I come, Robin!" she said gleefully.

 _Recognized, Guest, A-0-20_

Batman raised an eyebrow at her enthusiasm and anticipation to reunite with Robin, even though it had just been a few minutes. He looked over at Kaldur, Wally, Red Arrow, and the Titans quizzically with a stern look.

"Sorry, sir," Bumblebee chuckled nervously under the Bat-glare. "Ever since, they'd been dating, she'd been scheduling a lot of dates, and after the secrets have been revealed about the sidekicks former lives, she became even more possessive." She didn't tell him that Starfire had asked Robin to start "doing it" yet. She didn't want to piss a feared League member off, especially one that is overprotective.

"Let me try!" Beastboy exclaimed excitedly, leaping forward.

"Nuh uh, Beastboy, me next!" Cyborg demanded, leaping forward at the same time and shoving him aside.

"Move over! I was first!" Beastboy growled, pushing back.

"No I was first!" Cyborg shot back.

"No, I am!"

"I am!"

"I AM!"

Raven rolled her eyes, and stepped over to the zeta tube herself. The computer announced a guest, and she vanished, engulfed in the yellow light.

Mas and Menos eagerly sped over, excited to try it next.

As the Titans and the rest of the Team zeta tubed one by one, their mentors had their own chat. While talking, Batman kept eyeing the zeta tube, and Martian Manhunter read his mind, since he was distracted.

"Bruce, I am sure the alien meant nothing harmful to your son," J'onn said reassuringly. "He'll be fine."

"Yeah! Besides, she's a hot chick, just like her name, Star _fire_!" Flash piped up. "Rob sure is lucky. He gets all the hot chicks. How does he do it?"

"Batman, it's already clear Richard cares very much about her," Clark said, putting a hand on his shoulder, but Bruce shrugged him away. "If he trusts her, it's good enough for me. Besides, Aqualad, Kid flash, and Red Arrow seems to trust her and everyone too."

"Perhaps," Bruce answered coldly. "But in the meantime, I'll be watching her closely to make sure she does nothing out of turn."

Green Arrow shook his head in disbelief. "Gee, never underestimate an overprotective DaddyBats."

Flash stepped over to the zeta tube as the last of the Team disappeared, teleported inside Mount Justice. "I call going first!" he said enthusiastically. "I'll go see if the Cave's really as bad as Wally and the others says. But Wally's always exaggerating, so it can't be that bad, right?"

As he vanished inside the zeta tube and stepped into the mountain, he looked up. What he saw made him stopped in his tracks. "Oh my gosh..."

"What? What is it?" Icon asked as he and others stepped through the teleporter. But then he froze. The others had froze as well. "Oh my god..." Superman gaped, looking around Mount Justice.


	18. Chapter 18: The Mess in the Mountain

The entire mountain looked like a nightmare scene from the movie Alice from Wonderland. The green couch was tipped over, practically ripped in half and singed from burns and powerful blows. The training room had giant, blackened, ten-foot long craters all around the floor. The kitchen wasn't faring any better. The countertop, the sink, the stove, the cupboard, the oven, and the microwave all had scorch marks from exploding devices, and some chunks were missing from each kitchen maintenance, scattered all over the place. Birdarangs and arrows laid all over the floor, while the walls protruded some fist-shaped dents in the metal. The floor was soaked in water, and slippery, perhaps from Aqualad's water bearers and powers. Some kitchen utensils and furniture were lying in different rooms, where they're not supposed to be, maybe from Miss Martian's levitation abilities and Zatanna's magic. The training room had gym equipment and punching bags and dummies lying all over the floor. The mat bore shoe marks, forming the shape of Wally's shoes. A single iron frying pan laid in the middle of the fray in the training room, above some dumbbells that were broken in halves or thirds. Most of the punching bags were broken and had stuffing coming out.

"Holy Poseidon," murmured Aquaman, gazing at the scene around him, a shocked, dazed look on his face.

"Sweet Mama," gaped Flash looking at a piece of the cupboard slowly falling apart and then falling onto a shattered plate.

"S-son of Krypton," Superman gasped. "The Team weren't exaggerating about the mess."

"Y-yeah," Green Arrow. "Holy moly, it certainly does look like a tornado and a hurricane had hit the place at the same time, with Superman fighting Doomsday again, with Flash and Martian Manhunter having a speed race, with Dinah sonic screaming at me calling me a thick-skull headed idiot. All at once."

"Indeed," J'onn said, his gaze scanning the room, his deep green, serious face full of shock.

"Robin," Batman gave the Team the Bat-glare.

"It's not my fault! Don't look at me! Wa- KF was the one who prompted us into scorching and vandalizing the mountain!" protested Robin.

"My fault? It's my fault?" Kid flash retorted. "Dude! You guys were the ones who kept trying to bop me on the head and used exploding weapons that burned everything within twenty feet! You guys did most of the mess!"

"We were only trying to knock you out!" Raquelle shot back. "We weren't really gonna kill you! We never kill! Besides, what choice did we have?"

The Team all started arguing at once, yelling at each other and trying to outspeak one another.

"ENOUGH!" Everyone went deathly quiet as Batman bellowed out his command. "Arguing and placing the blame isn't going to solve the problem. You are going to solve the problem by cleaning up this mess." A loud groan emitted from the Team.

"But Baaaaatman!" Wally whined like a four-year old. "This kind of mess could probably take days! We-"

"No buts," Batman glared at him, and Wally shut up.

"Enough whining," Black Canary scolded. "You're all responsible for this disarray, you clean it up."

"Have no fear, friends! We shall help!" Starfire cried out.

Beastboy gulped. "We will?"

Icon stared. "You will?"

"Oh yes! They're out friends, and friends help each other out!" Starfire exclaimed, throwing her arms around Robin.

Batman cleared his throat and glared at her. Robin blushed and pushed her away. "Not now, Star" he murmured. "Not in front of my overprotective mentor."

"Wonderful going, Starfire," Raven snapped. "Now we have to help clean up the mess that THEY created."

"It's not so bad," M'gaan said. "On the bright side, this is a little bonding time."

Starfire grinned and linked arms with Robin, ignoring his protests of not showing affection in front of his mentor and Batman glaring at her. She must've really loved physical contact with Robin to be able to withstand the Batglare.

"A little bonding time, huh?" Jinx narrowed her eyes at Artemis, who was holding hands with KF. "You and I are going to have a long talk. About her." She pointed at Artemis. "There's something in my mind telling me that you're flirting with someone else. Is this true?"

Kid flash's face turned the color of Red Tornado's body. "Um...well..."he stammered. He desperately looked over at Artemis, silently asking her for advice.

Artemis got the message. She turned to look at Jinx. "Jinx," she said gently. "We'll tell you what's going on while we clean up."

"Artemis, it may be best if you leave Kid flash and Jinx alone in an empty room for some time. She needs to hear this from Kid flash alone," Aqualad advised.

Artemis pondered for a moment. Then she shrugged. "Yeah, all right. Besides, you've been through that before, having Tula turning you down in your face." Aqualad winced.

"Artemis!" Aquaman scolded.

"Sorry," she muttered, looking apologetic after seeing Kaldur's expression.

Barry looked impressed. "Kid, you actually convinced her to join our side," he said, looking awestruck.

"Yep!" Wally beamed proudly. His awkward worriedness instantly vanished. "I persuaded her by myself. What can I say? I'm the man."

Robin smirked and rolled his eyes, as though he was used to Kid saying that.

"Here, you'll need this," Ollie handed Roy a broom.

"Hey! Aw, c'mon!" Roy complained. "I know I made some of this mess too, but I'm not quite an official member of the Team!"

Bumblebee looked confused. "What do you mean you're not quite an official member?"

"Red Arrow doesn't really join us on missions unless we need his help, and he doesn't call us unless he needs out assistance." KF explained.

"He joined for a brief time," Robin said. "But he's always been more of a solo hero. He hasn't been Speedy, the Green Arrow's sidekick, for almost exactly a year now."

"I'm not his sidekick, I'm his _partner_." Roy glared at Dick, who just snickered.

"We'll be leaving now," Batman announced. "Black Canary and Red Tornado will stay and supervise you all to see you're all doing your fair share of work."

After that note he and the other League members except for BC and Tornado headed for the zeta tubes. He stopped just as the zeta tube started to light up though, and turned, giving Starfire one last wary look before he vanished and the zeta tube announced his departure.

Mas and Menos each took a mop and zoomed across the training room, sweeping bits of debris off the floor.

Connor signed and stooped over, scooping up a bucket full of water and a mop like Mas and Menos. "This is going to be a long day."


	19. Chapter 19: Telling the Truth to Jinx

_"Andi Forwusti,"_ Zatanna said, waving her hands toward a broken lamp. Immediately, it put itself back together.

Connor, Roy, and Dick all threw dirty looks at Wally while sweeping the floor. Wally blushed, embarrassed.

"I already told you guys a million times, I'm sorry," he muttered, trying to lift the couch upright again.

 **"Wally, I believe you should talk to Jinx," Kaldur said telepathically.**

 **"Yeah, you owe her that much," Rocket said.**

 **"I know that, but what am I supposed to say?! 'I'm sorry to tell you this, but I'm already dating someone else! No offense!'" Kid flash mimicked.**

 **"What you should do is give her a heart-to-heart talk," M'gaan said gently. "There may be some angry words and hurt expressions, but she deserves to know the truth."**

 **"Yeah," smirked Robin. "If she sees you flirting or making out with Artemis without any explanation, she'll be so mad she'll go all High Five over you and then you'll have to run for your life. Good thing you've recently eaten."**

 **"Hey!" Wally protested.**

 **"Wally, just tell her already," Zatanna sighed. "Robin has recently told me about him dating Starfire, and he's still alive right now."**

 **"But aren't you a little hurt that he's going out with someone else so soon?" Connor asked.**

 **"A bit, but we all can't stay single forever," Zatanna said. "Besides, I have to admit, those two are made for each other. Robin seems so happy with her, and just look at Starfire willingness to clean the Mountain as long as she can hang out with her friends, especially Dick. That girl will do anything to hang out with him."**

"So cool!" they heard Beastboy say. He held up a video game. "You guys have Super Mario Galaxy?! That's so neat!"

"It may be neat for you, but I do not understand the purpose of that game," Kaldur frowned. "Why am I a small, portly man having to stomp mushrooms on their heads, with stars following me around?"

Cyborg, Wally,Mas, Menos and Beastboy burst out laughing. "Good one, Aqualad," Cyborg laughed. "I see some of the previous Aqualad of the Titans East coming back!"

"I have to agree with Aqualad," Raven muttered. "I do not understand the purpose of ALL video games, and maybe that is a good thing."

"Hey, Kid flash, I do not quite understand video games either. Wanna teach me?" Jinx batted her eyelashes.

Robin and Artemis exchanged knowing looks with Wally, and Artemis raised an eyebrow. It was now or possibly never.

KF took a deep breath and cleared his throat. "Hey, um, Jinx, can we talk? Alone?"

Jinx's eyes lit up. "Sure!"

As they headed towards the training room, Robin threw a mop at Jinx, and Connor threw a bucket of water at Wally.

"Sorry, telling Jinx the truth doesn't give you an excuse to take a break from cleaning," Robin smirked. "Besides, you created most of the mess."

"I so did not! You guys did, with your weapons and powers!" KF retorted as he and Jinx walked over to the training room.

"What was that all about?" Bumblebee asked curiously. Suddenly, a mischievous look came into her eyes. "Oh my god, he's going to ask her out, isn't he?"

Artemis's jaw dropped to the ground, Robin burst out laughing, Zatanna and Rocket snickered, Kaldur had an amused smile on his face, and Superboy and Miss Martian exchanged looks.

"What? What's wrong?" Bumblebee asked, looking confused.

"(Was is something she said?)" Mas and Menos asked.

Raquelle looked puzzled. "Huh?"

"They asked if it was something Bumblebee said," Superboy translated. The others stared at him.

"Dude, you can understand Spanish?" Cyborg asked, looking surprised.

Connor nodded. "Yes, the genomorphs back at Cadmus taught me some, and a few sentences of French. Don't ask." he answered quickly, seeing the Titans questioning glances about genomorphs and Cadmus.

Raven cleared her throat. "Ahem, we're wandering off topic. Let's get back to the point: What was so shocking that you all had strange reactions?"

"Oh yes," Starfire piped up. "If it was so important that Kid flash had to drag Jinx away, and if it wasn't about love, then why are they talking in private, where no one can hear them?"

Artemis inhaled deeply. "Kid flash isn't available for dating."

Beastboy looked confused. "Uh, what do you mean?"

"What she means, is that, Kid isn't going out with Jinx because he already has a girlfriend," Zatanna said.

"And that girlfriend would be me," Artemis said, sweeping trash and dust into a pile.

The Titans' eyes widened, and their mouths fell open. They just stared at her with slack jaws.

"He's-when-how-she's-"Cyborg spluttered, pointing at Artemis and the direction of the training room. "I mean- _you're_ dating Kid flash? How? When? Where? Why-"

"They've been dating ever since New Year's Eve," M'gaan explained. "So he isn't cheating on her."

Just then, shouts from the training room echoed all the way to sparring room.

Starfire swallowed nervously. "Do you think she's-"

"Yep, she just found out. Bet KF just told her." Robin said, looking uneasy. He'd seen quite a few of Jinx's temper tantrums, and they were quite scary sometimes. And judging by the shouts, she's not taking the news well. Looks like this is going to be a disaster, heavy on the _dis_. KF, better watch out."

 _At the training room:_

Kid Flash sighed. "Look, Jinx, I'm really sorry. Even though I'm already dating Artemis, that doesn't mean you'll always be a big part of my life." He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"So now you're going toward the 'You're a really good friend' part?" Jinx demanded, shrugging his hand off.

"Jinx, I-" he started, but then Jinx cut him off and started ranting.

"If you were already dating someone, why did you try to talk me into coming onto your side? Was it all just some game to you? And now you're going toward the 'You're just a really good friend' part? Sorry, but how is that supposed to help?"

"Jinx-" Kid Flash started to say, but she continued ranting.

"Why couldn't have you just told me that you were already dating someone else? Oh, wait, I get it, you were just trying to be fair to me. Well, joke's on you. And the really good friend part isn't going to help. What am I, chopped liver?"

"Jinx-"

"What am I supposed to do now, make you jealous? Oh, wait, no. You're completely devoted to your girlfriend. Are you obsessed with her or something? So maybe I _am_ chopped liver. What do you want me to do now? Be your two's bridesmaid? Oh-"

"JINX!" he roared and took a deep breath. "Jinx, you didn't let me finish. The reason why I tried to convince you join the side of the Titans was because you reminded me of Artemis. You two shared a lot of similar traits. Just like you, she had the chance for the side of good, and she went for it. Even though she's the only girl I've got my eyes on, it doesn't mean you are chopped liver. I love you like a sister. Besides sharing my secrets(not the ones involving the glamour charms)with Robin and Red Arrow when we were with the Titans, you were another option because you really understood me."

Jinx was speechless. She stared at him, not knowing what to say.

Kid Flash sighed. "Look, I understand if you're mad at me, but always remember that you're like a sister to me. I can't imagine how I would feel if you died or something. I trust you with my life and I would totally give it up for you if you were on the verge of death."

Jinx didn't say anything for a moment. Finally, she said, "Kid Flash...I...I..." She couldn't think of anything to say.

He put an arm around her. "C'mon, let's help the others clean up."

She nodded slowly. "Yeah."

Kid Flash pushed the training room door open. Jinx walked off to grab a cleaning equipment.

"How'd it go? Did she try to shoot her bad luck bolts at you or something?" Connor asked Kid Flash, not looking up as he mopped the floor.

He shook his head. "No, she was a bit upset at first, but she understood it all in the end."

Connor looked up. "She did, huh? Well, when I heard her shouting I thought she was going to kill you."

Starfire flew up to Kid Flash, looking nervous. "Kid Flash, how did she take the news that you already had a girlfriend?"

"She wasn't happy, but I managed to make her understand how I really felt about her," he answered, dumping some broken glass into a trash can.

Starfire breathed a sigh of relief. "So she is okay with you dating someone else?"

"Yeah." He picked up a broom and and started sweeping the floor.

"Great!" Artemis grinned. "Hey, wanna go catch a movie later?"

"Sur-" Wally started to say, but then Kaldur interrupted.

"First," he said, "We clean up. Then we have some team bonding exercise with the Titans. Then a date."

"You just had to run all around the Mountain," Roy grumped, picking up some food wrappers.

Robin wiped sweat off his brow. "Star, can you fetch a water bottle for me? I've got a feeling we're going to be stuck in here for the rest of the day."


	20. Chapter 20: Getting ready for surgery

The zeta tube announced Batman's arrival as he stepped out of the tube and glanced at his surroundings. The Mountain was looking a lot cleaner. The Team and the Titans had obviously made a lot of progress. He heard sniggering, talking and laughing as he turned his head and saw the two different groups exchanging stories and jokes. Batman's face was expressionless, but inside he was amused. Even though the tidying of the Mountain was a pain in the neck, it gave the two teams a chance and some time to bond.

"Dude, no way!" Beastboy guffawed. "You and Artemis hated each other at first?! It's so hard to believe now that you two are dating! Whenever I see you two together, you act so lovey-dovey!"

"Yeah, kind of him and Jinx," Artemis smiled, turning to Wally. "You weren't kidding when you said that me and Jinx had a lot in common. She tried to kill you when she first laid eyes on you, and almost succeeded, like me."

"Hey! I was the one that was triumphing! I'm the one who has the superspeed and superpower here!" Wally protested.

"Oh really?" Jinx snickered. "May I recall, it was me who saved your skin against Madam Rouge and destroyed the containment field before you could become a prisoner to Brother Blood. If it weren't for me, you probably wouldn't be here right now."

Batman cleared his throat. "Team, Titans," he spoke, turning around and started typing some keys into the holographic computer. Red Tornado flew out of the hole in the ceiling and landed down next to Batman. Images popped up on the computer, showing images of the Light.

"Those bad guys are called the Light, right?" Cyborg asked. Then a grin crossed his face. "Hey, I rhymed!"

"Yaaaaaay, such a huge achievement for a doofus like you," Raven muttered.

"That's correct," Batman continued. "Have you Titans ever heard of the members?"

"Well..." Bumblebee tapped her chin thoughtfully. "We've heard of Ra's al Ghul and Lex Luthor, but that's about it. We've also never faced against them before until you guys revealed your secrets back in Jump City."

"Right," Connor mumbled, looking away. "Secrets." The Team exchanged nervous looks.

"The entire Light consists of not only Ra's al Ghul and Lex Luthor, but also Queen Bee, Psimon, Ocean Master, Mammoth, Blockbuster, Sportsmaster, Cheshire, and especially Klarion and Vandal Savage," Kaldur explained. "We believe Savage is the Light's leader."

"So the Light is some powerful organization, like Brother Blood and the High Five," Cyborg said. He grinned and snapped his fingers. "You can count on us, Batman! We've gone toe to toe against Slade and baddies as bad as you are!"

Robin let out and audible snort and covered his mouth with his hands. Starfire looked questioningly at him. He shook his head. "It's nothing Star, I'm fine."

Mas and Menos looked a bit uncomfortable and confused. "Is something wrong?" Robin questioned. "You guys looked disturbed, heavy on the dis."

"We're just not used to seeing you act this way, Robin," Raven admitted. "You used to be so serious and obsessive. Now you're all carefree and cackling and butchering the human language. Remind me not to ask you to teach some younger kids some vocabulary."

"Who cares, I like this new Robin better!" Beastboy grinned, linking arms with him. "Me and Cy can totally play video games with him, and now the Titans can really have some fun!"

"You're not the only one who likes the new, improved Robin with a wonderful attitude!" Cyborg beamed, linking with Robin's other arm.

"Um...guys, this is what I'm always like. That serious Robin isn't who I am. I just pretended to be another person I'm really not," Robin said tentatively.

"Man, are we going to have some fun together!" Cyborg beamed even brighter. "Now we can have even more fun taking down the Light! It'll be no sweat! We've taken down baddies as bad as them!"

Superboy let out a disbelieving grunt and crossed his arms. Miss Martian gained a sudden interest in lifting the last of the scattered debris into huge black trash bags. Zatanna hid an amused smile. KF smiled nervously. Rocket raised an eyebrow in disbelief.(Robin, Aqualad, and the other sidekicks had already told them about some of their adventures) Artemis just rolled her eyes. Robin tried to politely conceal his laughter.

Starfire looked confused. "Um, may I ask what you guys find so hilarious?"

"It's nothing, Star, nothing," Robin snickered.

 **"Yeah, right it's nothing," Wally chuckled. "Compared to the Light and the Injustice League, Slade and Brother Blood just like regular kids who just misbehave once in a while. We've gone on a loooot of dangerous missions, possibly even more dangerous than the Teen Titans."**

 **"Indeed," Kaldur said. "Some of the villains just wanted to have fun with us. Some just wanted us to become pawns. None of them really actually wanted to destroy us, compared to some of the super-villains we faced."**

 **"You guys call them villains?" Connor snorted. "From how your friends and you guys talk about them, they seem just like regular bank robbers without any superpower or martial art training, compared to Black Adam or Blockbuster."**

 **"I've seen you in action, Dick, on TV and in the newspaper," Zatanna said. "No offense, but those kind of enemies are just a waste of your time. You didn't need to hack into any super-secret computer or use your acrobatic skill to take them down. And when you were fighting hand-to-hand combat with Red X, Mad Mod, and Fang, you were holding back. WAAAY back. You can take on three of them and Slade at once under thirty seconds without breaking a sweat."**

 **"Hey, I had a cover to maintain," Robin blushed. "Besides, it paid off, because now Slade underestimates me. Next time we fight, he'll sorely loose and be so humiliated. I can't wait to use my acrobatics in public again. I can't flip or somersault a lot in the air anymore, and it's driving me crazy! If I can't do acrobatics any more, the results of my attitude will so not be whelming to you guys.'**

"Team, pay attention," they heard Batman say sternly. "The Light is still after you, and you still need to hide. We haven't forgotten about putting surgical trackers inside all eight of you."

"Aw, but c'mon!" Wally protested. "We've got the Titans to protect us now!"

"Why do the trackers have to be surgical?" Roy grumbled. "I don't need help. I've been going solo for months."

"You all still need protection," Red Tornado said. "You'll all be lying on those flat metal surfaces for the surgery." He gestured toward several tables, where the failed simulation took place.

The Team gulped as painful memories came rushing back.

"Robin?" Starfire's hand slipped into his black gloved ones. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, don't worry about me," he said, but his expression was pained.

"Guys, I may be seeing things, but they looked...haunted," Bumblebee said, staring at the Team, who were all flinching at the flat tables. Only Red Arrow seemed fine, but he seemed to understand and realize what was happening, because he each placed a hand on Robin and Kid flash's shoulder, while speaking in a soothing tone that even Starfire couldn't even hear, even while standing right next to Robin holding his hand.

"Batman, you know that-" Aqualad started.

"I know," Batman interrupted. "But this is so the surgery can happen at the same time to all of you, and will be the quickest. There will be no mental training today. There has been enough fights for today."

"Right, of course, this is no mental training simulation," KF said, taking a deep breath to calm himself down.

The Team all walked over and laid on their backs on the flat metal tables. "We're ready," said Kaldur.

"Good," said Batman as the zeta announced the arrival of Black Canary, Martian Manhunter, and a guest, which turned out to be a doctor for the surgery.

"Hello, everyone, my name is Dr. Leslie Thompkins," the doctor said kindly as she opened her kit.

The Team took a deep breath and got ready for the surgery, shoving away agonizing memories of the failed simulation.


	21. Chapter 21: The Hostage

Leslie first moved to Superboy. She took out a needle filled with liquid. "Now, Superboy," she said gently. "I'm going to give you some anesthetic so you won't feel any pain."

Superboy nodded as she pushed the needle into his arm. He was virtually indestructible, but he wasn't so sure about it when it came to surgery.

Batman had left, for he and the other League members had received a call to the watchtower, and they all left, for it was an emergency.

While Leslie worked on all of the Team, the Teen Titans stood in a different room, so they wouldn't see anything, continuing cleaning up the mess. Starfire kept glancing anxiously around the corner.

"Star, chill. It's just surgery. Robin isn't going to get hurt," Beast Boy assured her as he sprayed some special soap on a side table.

"But what if it hurts? Placing a tracker on someone's lungs? Won't that be unpleasant?" she asked anxiously.

"Star, I don't like the idea either, but if they get it placed somewhere obvious, like their arm or something, then it's easy for someone to take it off." Raven put a hand on her shoulder. "Besides, the Light is still after them. Didn't you see how powerful they were? Even if Slade and Madam Rouge teamed up, they would be no match for them."

After a couple of hours, they heard Leslie say, "Alright, you all are done."

Immediately, Starfire flew around the corner and threw her arms around Robin. "Are you okay?" she asked him worriedly, looking deep into his eyes.

"I've been through worse," he assured her.

Leslie packed up her things. "I'll be going now. If you need me again, let me know." She exited Mount Justice.

The two teams breathed a signs of relief. "Thank god that's over," Wally sighed. He turned to the others and grinned. "Wanna play some Super Mario Galaxy with us, Aqualad? We could show you the true purpose of video games."

"Apologies, Kid, but I'm afraid we still have a mess to clean up," Aqualad said with an amused smile on his face. Wally groaned. "Aw, man."

The Team and the Titans got back to cleaning, but after ten minutes, they heard a voice hiss, "Finally."

They whirled around. Standing a few feet from them, was Roland Desmond.

"What...how did you get-" Wally spluttered.

"I snuck into the Watchtower, created a distress signal to trick the Justice League, and used a zeta tube to get here," was the answer.

"Wait...so the signal was fake? You lured the Justice League away?" Robin's eyes widened. "Why?"

"Let's make a deal." Roland spread his arms. "All of the League's sidekicks except for Green Arrow's one come with me to the Light. In exchange for another person's life."

Immediately, two beefy men appeared with a five year old boy pinned between them. He squeaked in fear. About ten more surrounded the Team and the Titans.

"Don't get me wrong, I stole him from his family. Now will you make the trade or not? Decide now, because if you all try to run away, fight, or call for help, he'll be dead in an instant," Roland warned. The man on the right of the boy put a gun to his head.

The Teen Titans looked torn. The didn't want that little boy getting hurt, but there was no way the Team would last long if they went to the Light.

"You're working with the Light? How come? You know how sinister they are," Cyborg demanded.

Desmond shifted. "Sinister? Pfft."

 _Aw, how sad,_ Robin thought, staring at the boy. He knew what it was like to lose a family, after the death of his parents. He looked so frightened that he thought he was going to faint from fright.

Roland had stolen him from his family. Robin didn't want to go to the Light, but he didn't want anymore families losing each other, after what happened to him and Bruce. The five year old boy's family could fall apart if he passed away.

He looked into the boy's eyes. Suddenly, he was eight again. He was standing on a trapeze, in Haly's Circus. The rope snapped and his parents were falling...falling...

He snapped himself back into the present before any tears fell. He knew what he had to do.

Robin looked at the Team. They seemed to be thinking the same thing as him.

"Guys." He turned toward the Titans. "Make the trade."

They looked shocked, but the Team nodded.

"Wh-What?" stammered Beast Boy.

"Listen to your leader." Aqualad stood by Robin. "We'll be alright."

"B-B-But..." Starfire squeaked. She grabbed Robin's hand and squeezed, looking desperate.

He knew what she was thinking. She had only been reunited with him for less than a day. Plus, after the secrets of the Team were spilled, she had become even more possessive of him.

"Listen, we'll be fine," Miss Martian assured. "You know how many dangerous missions we've been on."

"But..." Jinx started, anxiously looking at Kid Flash.

"If we don't do this, he'll die," he said, pointing toward the five year old boy. "Besides, he has a family. They could fall apart if we don't do this."

"What about the League?" Raven asked.

"Tell them we'll be fine and why we chose to do this," Artemis spoke up.

"Starfire." Robin placed a hand on Starfire's cheek. "I know how much you love me, but you have to learn to let me go. We'll be alright, we promise." He turned towards Roland Desmond. "Alright, we'll come with you to the Light. Now let the boy go."

"No," he answered. "He comes with us. When we reach our destination, I will send him back to where he came from."

Roland had a point. If he let the the boy go now, the Titans would call the Justice League and both teams would chase them all the way to the Light's reach.

"Fine," Superboy snapped. The Team all walked up to Roland and his men, ready to come with them.

Robin had only just taken a step before Starfire pulled him into her arms, shaking. Her lip was quivering.

"It's okay, Star," he said gently, kissing her on the cheek. "I'll be fine. I'll try to come back to you, I promise."

"Well, are you going to come or not?" Roland spoke up.

Robin gently separated himself from Starfire. He gave her one last _I'll-come-back-for-you_ look before he stood with the Team, ready to go.

Before they knew it, all of Roland's men pulled out napkins drenched in what smelled like chloroform. Before the Team could do anything, the napkins were thrown over their mouths and noses.

The entire Team instantly crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

Immediately, the whole Titans were ready fight. "You hurt one hair on their heads..." Cyborg growled, his blaster open.

"Ah, ah, ah, I wouldn't do anything if I were you for the boy's sake," Roland warned, pointing at the the five year old, who was still pinned between two men. "This is just so they wouldn't get any funny ideas and so they wouldn't see where me and my men are going, so they wouldn't try to escape."

The Titans were still furious, but Raven's black magic vanished, Starfire's eyes returned to their normal color, Beast Boy turned back into himself, Cyborg lowered his arm, and the Titans East lowered their weapons and hands.

"Much better." Roland and his men turned around and left the Mountain, holding the unconscious Team and the five year old boy.

As soon as they were out of sight, Starfire slid slowly down to the floor, tears silently making their way down her face.

"Hey, okay, Star," Beast Boy patted her shoulder. "The Justice League put trackers on their lungs, remember? Anytime soon, they'll go look for them."

"Yeah, Star," Cyborg piped up. "You know how great and powerful the Justice League is. They'll probably save the Team in no time."

She sniffled. "Okay."


	22. Chapter 22: Captured

**Teen Titans POV:**

The Titans bolted out of the zeta tubes and into the Watchtower. All of the League members, including Red Arrow, were there. He had left with Batman when the Justice received the false distress signal.

"This makes no sense. Who made that false distress signal and why?" Superman was saying.

"Trouble!" Cyborg called. "Big, big trouble!"

All of the League turned around.

"What are doing here?" Batman glared at them. "This for authorized League members only."

"Guys!" Beast Boy yelped. "We-"

"Why aren't you even with the Team? You all are supposed to be cleaning," he scolded. "You all aren't supposed to be here without our consent."

"Batman-"

"This is a place only for League members, not kids. If you want to be here-"

"BATMAN!" shouted Beast Boy, then yelled, "We-were-just-cleaning-and-then-this-guy-who-works-with-the-Light-came-and-took-the-Team-with-him-because-he-threatened-them-with-a-hostage-and-now-the-entire-Team-are-with-him-and-are-on-their-way-to-the-Light-right-this-minute!"

"Whoa, Beast Boy, slow down!" said Flash, hold his hands up. "Can you repeat that?"

He took a deep breath and repeated what he said.

At first, there was deadly silence. Then-

"WHAT?!" Red Arrow roared. As fast as a viper, he rushed over and picked Beast Boy by the scruff of his shirt. "Say that again," he said, his voice hard and controlled.

"Th-They've been kidnapped and t-taken to the Light!" Beast Boy squeaked, his face pale. "They didn't have a choice!"

All of the Titans stared at Red Arrow in fear and shock. They had never seen him this violent to someone he was friends with.

"Red Arrow! Calm down!" Green Arrow yanked Beast Boy away from him, and held him back.

"Do you mean to tell me that the entire Team, including my two little brothers, are at the Light's place right now?!" Red Arrow looked so furious, the Titans thought that fire was going shoot out of his ears any second.

Batman's hands balled into fists so hard, his hands would've started bleeding if he wasn't wearing Kevlar gloves.

"Hey, uh...on the bright side, you all put trackers surgically inside them," Bumblebee said nervously.

Batman whirled around and stormed into the control room to track the Team. He wasn't saying anything, but everybody could tell that he was _not_ happy.

Red Arrow growled. "I swear, if the Light hurts one hair on either of my little brothers' heads, every single member is going to get a pounding they all will never forget."

Starfire glanced at him nervously. "Why was he...very violent to Beast Boy?" she asked Green Arrow.

Beast Boy moved away from Red Arrow, eyeing him anxiously.

"Don't worry about him," he assured her. "He just cares about Robin and Kid Flash _a lot._ He's known them ever since he was thirteen."

"You think Red Arrow cares about Robin a lot? You wouldn't believe how Starfire reacted when he and the Team had to go the the Light," Raven muttered, staring at Starfire, who flew into the control room to help Batman track the Team.

 **Young Justice POV:**

Kaldur blearily opened his eyes. His mind felt fuzzy and barely coherent. He slowly gazed at his surroundings. He then realized that he was lying on something flat and hard on his back. He tried turning his body around to see what he was lying against, but then his head bonked against something hard. Grimacing and rubbing the side of his head, he turned onto his back again and put his hand up to see what he had bonked against. His hand touched something hard and invisible. Force field? Then he caught a light, colored shimmer across the left of his prison containment. Panic rose inside him as he put both hands on the transparent shield and pounded against it. He wasn't in a prison or force field, he was inside a pod. He pounded across the transparent window, but there wasn't even a crack. Judging by how hard it was, it wasn't glass. It was a harder substance, perhaps titanium.

He heard several groans across his right. Fortunately, his pod wasn't soundproof, and he could still see everything clearly. Across him, there were seven other pods lined up in a straight row right next to him.

"Everyone," Kaldur hissed. "Wake up!"

He could hear moans and groans from his Team as they started to grow conscious.

"Ugh, wha-" Wally began, but then he got a clear look at his surroundings and a panicked look appeared on his face. "No, no, no! This so cannot be happening!" He began pounding against the titanium.

An angry roar could be heard from Superboy. After being spent most of his life in a cloning tube, he was quite claustrophobic when it came to clone pods, especially when they're from Cadmus. He began pounding against the titanium with all he got, but then they heard a cry of pain and the angry pounding abruptly stopped.

" **Connor, what's wrong?" M'gaan asked, panicked.**

There was no response.

 **"Connor?" she tried again, but then an extremely painful shock electronecuted from her neck. Crying out in pain, she slumped against the flat surface.**

"M'gaan, Connor, what's wrong?!" exclaimed Artemis as she instinctively reached for her bow and arrows. As she reached for the arrow behind her back, her fingers brushed something against her neck. Alarmed, she looked down. A black collar lined her neck, with bits of red light.

Her eyes widened with realization. "Guys!" she called. "I think we're wearing inhibitor collars!"

"What?!" yelped Wally. "That can't be true!" He tried to kick the titanium off, but without any superpowers, his attacks weren't effective.

"Dog kaerb-" Zatanna began but then a painful shock from the collar broke off her concentration. "Augh!" she cried out in as she slumped unconscious once more.

"Zatanna!" cried Robin.

"Girl, we've got ourselves in big trouble here," gulped Rocket. "We're stuck in pods, which cannot be good for Superboy's temper, and if it can't get any worse, we're wearing inhibitor collars. No flight. No force field. No superpowers at all. And on top of all that, we just handed ourselves to the Light. My, did we get ourselves into a sticky situation here."

"I don't know what's worse," Robin said. "Superboy continuously pounding against the pod in rage while continuously getting an electric shock from the collar, or the fact that the Light will show up for us any minute."

"Make that now," they heard a voice purr, and then a silhouette stepped into the light, followed by several more. Ra's al Ghul, Queen Bee, Black Manta, Sportsmaster, and a few others. And the ones who stood out most, Vandal Savage and Klarion, with his cat Teekl in his arms.


	23. Chapter 23: Kidnapped

**Teen Titans POV:**

Batman typed on the computer, trying to track down the Team.

"Any luck?" Starfire flew over.

He shook his head and continued typing. He wanted scold Robin for just handing himself over to the Light, but Beast Boy had said that Roland Desmond had a hostage and the hostage had a family. After what happened to his and Dick's parents, he didn't want another family to fall apart. So he understood why he had handed himself over. It still hurt a lot however, to have his son taken away from him so soon after finally being reunited.

"What about your scanner, Cyborg?" Starfire asked anxiously.

Cyborg also shook his head. "I tried to connect it to the trackers in the Team, but I haven't had any luck."

"What about you, Raven?" Starfire turned to Raven. "Can you sense them?"

Raven closed her eyes and concentrated. After a few seconds, she shook her head. "I can only sense them just enough to know they're alive, but other than that, I can't reach their location."

"J'onn, can you reach them telepathically?" Flash asked Martian Manhunter.

"I already did. Many times," he said grimly. "I'm afraid I cannot help."

Red Arrow paced around the Watchtower, gripping his bow so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "...I swear, if the Light even touches one of my little brothers, then all of them is going to get arrows in their faces," he was muttering.

Raven sighed. "I knew Red Arrow was going to blow a gasket."

Beast Boy edged away from him nervously. "But going as far as to almost strangle me? Dude, that seems a bit off."

"He just cares about Robin and Kid Flash a lot," Green Arrow said patiently. "He's like a big brother to both of them. Think about it: would you get pissed off if someone you loved handed themselves over to the wrong hands?"

Beast Boy pondered this for a moment. "Okay, okay, maybe I'll make an exception for Red Arrow trying strangle me just this once. But I really hope it doesn't happen again." He shuddered. "Dude, I didn't know he could get that angry..."

Five minutes passed. Not one member of the League were even close to finding the Team.

Batman slammed his fist onto the keyboard in frustration. The Light could kill his little bird any second. They were probably even torturing him right this minute. Time was running out. He grinded his teeth in desperation.

Superman put a hand on his shoulder. "Batman, it's okay. Robin led the Teen Titans many times. I'm sure he'll be able to lead the Team to safety."

"But this Light you speak of is so powerful!" Starfire piped up. "I've never seen anybody evil so powerful, careful and wise!" She stared at her feet. "The man who threatened us with a hostage knocked them out so even if they did escape, they wouldn't know where to go!" Tears welled up in her green eyes. "What are they going to do to them and...and..." She was close to tears. "...Robin?"

Raven put an arm around her. "Star, the Team said that they've faced them many times. Maybe Superman's right. Maybe Robin will lead the Team to safety, just as he did with us many times." But she didn't sound so sure.

Starfire sniffled and wiped her eyes. Raven created a handkerchief using her black magic and gave it to her.

Flash whistled. "Man, she really loves Robin. When she become so devoted to him?"

Raven glared at him. "Don't ask," she snapped.

Beastboy looked worried. "No offense to Robin or any of your teammates, dude, but I don't think any of them will last a week against the enemy! I mean, look at Sportsmaster and Cheshire. The Teen Titans were barely able to lay a finger on them. I mean, Robin has exceptional combat skills and all, but compared to those two baddies, it's like those two had 85 years of private lessons of martials arts compared to Robin. He would be no match against both of them."

Green Arrow snorted in disbelief and quickly turned it into a cough. Batman and Wonder Woman exchanged knowing looks. Captain Marvel scratched his head awkwardly. Hawkman and Hawkwoman developed a sudden interest in their maces.

Raven scowled. "There it is again," she snapped.

Flash looked confused. "There is what again?"

"Those looks you keep exchanging!" exclaimed Bumblebee, throwing her arms up in exasperation. "You guys always exchange knowing looks as though y'all know something that we don't, and we're sick of it! So spill it! What is it that you guys know that we don't? Our own teammates, Robin, Kid flash, and Aqualad were exchanging those looks too, including you _Speedy_ ," she said, emphasizing the word "Speedy" towards Red Arrow.

Red Arrow opened his mouth to retort, but Superman cut him off. "There're some private stuff that we didn't share with you yet, to be honest." he said. "It's not because we don't trust you, well except for Batman, since he doesn't trust any newcomers. It's obvious Robin, Aqualad, and the others, trust you guys wholeheartedly with their lives. We just feel uncomfortable talking about some certain subjects."

"Why?" Cyborg asked curiously. The Justice League had always seem so brave and confident in public, yet here, on the Watchtower, some of them were visibly fidgeting nervously.

"There has been some certain events in our lives that we do not wish to linger and talk about," Martian Manhunter said, his tone darkening. "Although talking about it is the right thing to do, many of us would just like to forget what has happened and move on."

"Like that Flying Graysons poster that Starfire found in Robin's bedroom?" Beastboy asked. "Is the reason Robin never told any of us that he owned that poster is because it's embarrassing and he's afraid to be laughed at?"

The League instantly stiffened when he said that, and Batman's hands clenched into hands so tightly that his fingernails nearly cut through the Kevlar, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

Mas y Menos looked confused. ("What is going on?") they asked.

"Huh?" Hal Jordan looked puzzled at the two Spanish twins.

"They asked what was going on," Batman translated in a rather stiff tone.

"Look, about that poster," Superman spoke up, then hesitated, before saying, "We wish it would've been that simple, of what Beastboy say, but many of us still keep secrets for complicated, unpleasant reasons. That's all what we can tell you. It'll be up to the Team to tell you."

 **Young Justice POV:**

"Let us go!" Wally yelled, pounding against their transparent prison, but yelped as he got an electric shock from the collar.

"No can do, chump. You're all a big part to our plans," chuckled Sportsmaster, watching Blockbuster(Desmond drank the formula again) wheel in Superboy and Miss Martian, Mammoth wheeling in Artemis and Zatanna, Bane wheeling in Robin and Kid flash, and Ubu wheeling Aqualad and Rocket into the helicopters.

Superboy was growling and pounding at the titanium at the pods, but he was unable to break the hard substance as his super strength was gone. They couldn't even talk with the mind link, since Miss Martian's telekinesis and telepathy was subdued by the inhibitor collars.

"Definitely disaster, heavy on the dis," Robin growled, rummaging around for his utility belt. But his belt was gone.

"Rob, Aqualad, I don't suppose you guys have some kind of plan to get us out of this sticky situation," Kid flash said hopefully.

Cheshire chuckled. "Oh, believe me, it's about to get a whole lot stickier."

Robin shook his head at Wally. "Sorry KF, they took away my belt. Also, the lock is on the outside, and we're on the inside on the pod. I can't pick through anything."

"Same here, Kid," Aqualad admitted. "They took away my waterbearers, and without Miss Martian's telepathy to communicate, the Light will hear any escape plan that we'd come up with."

"I can't take this!" Artemis growled, pounding her fists against the pod, like Superboy. "This is so embarrassing! I can't stand being a prisoner, especially being held prisoner by my own family!"

The four gigantic monsters that were pushing the pods pushed them roughly into the helicopter. They all yelped as they banged against the wall hard and each other.

"You could've at least put us in gently. We're helpless and powerless here. We're not going to do anything wrong," Rocket grumbled.

The Team heard the helicopter's engine turn on, and then they felt themselves being lifted into the air.

Wally gulped. "This is so not good."


	24. Chapter 24: Searching

**Young Justice Point** **of View:**

"Let us out!" Rocket yelled over the roar over the helicopter. Superboy roared and kept banging his fists against his transparent prison.

"This is sooo not turning out asterous." Robin muttered.

"What're we going to do?" Wally started to panic. "Ohmigosh, we'recapturedbytheLightoneofthemostpowerfulorganizationsandwe'regoingtoonehundredpercentdieand-"

"Wally, calm down!" Artemis barked. "Panicking isn't going to solve anything."

"Artemis is right," Kaldur said. "The more we panic, the less we can think. What we should all do right now is stop struggling, take a deep breath, and calm d-"

"CALM DOWN?" Superboy roared, banging his fists against the pod even harder. "I'm stuck in a pod again, which is probably from Cadmus! After my experience from that place and pods, you expect me to calm down?!"

"Connor, enough!" M'gaan pleaded. "Kaldur's right. What we need to do is calm down. Megan from _Hello Megan!_ always says there's always a solution to every problem, as long as we use our brains. And she did find solution! If she can figure out solutions out of a sticky situation, then so can I." She started to ponder.

"Yeah, M'gaan, except that's in a sitcom. I don't think Megan has ever gotten herself kidnapped in there before," Artemis muttered.

"On the bright side," Zatanna said optimistically, "Our mentors put trackers inside of us. In only several hours, I'm sure the Titans will notify us missing to the League, and they'll track us down in no time."

"If only if it could've been that easy," Robin said. "The Light is very clever and sneaky, Zatanna. They tricked us into thinking the Injustice League were the ones behind this in the first place. It'll probably take quite a while for them to find us, Zatanna."

"It won't be that long. Besides, Starfire is probably searching the entire world for you by now," Wally snickered, despite the situation they were in. "Such a loyal girlfriend, Rob. She's so possessive. Maybe you two should share clothes and wardrobe choices."

"Shut up!" Robin growled. "Alright, maybe she's been really possessive of me and keeping me mostly to herself, but she just cares. I just hope she won't get hurt." He turned his head to the other side and looked up at the security camera watching and recording their movements."

There was another half minute of awkward silence before Wally said over the roar of the helicopter: "Well, this sucks."

Artemis groaned. "We know that already, Baywatch!"

"Argh! We can see that already, Kid Idiot! You just stated the obvious! Congratulations!" Robin snapped.

Connor groaned and facepalmed.

"Um, guys, how long has it been?" Zatanna asked tentatively.

Rocket shrugged. "Dunno. Feels like hours."

"Actually, I think only about 45 minutes," Robin guessed. "If we're lucky, it'll take hours for them to land at their base."

"Yeah, hopefully," Artemis muttered, looking quite nervous and distraught.

"Hey, Arty, you seem quite distraught. Remember, get traught or get dead," Robin joked, trying to cheer her up.

Artemis chuckled. "You're saying that in a situation like this right now?"

"I can't take much more of this!" Superboy growled, clenching his fists. "If I don't get our of this pod soon, something or some _one's_ getting hurt!"

Kaldur sighed. From the Team's bickering, to the loud, deafening sound of thrumming of the helicopter, to his nervousness of being handed over to the enemy, he was beginning to get a migraine. "Team, calm down, let's think through this," he said tiredly.

Robin took a deep breath to calm himself down. _"Father, please find us soon."_

 _ **Teen Titans Point of View:**_

"Beastboy, have you found anything?" Starfire asked worriedly over her Titans communicator.

"Nope, sorry Star, haven't found anything," Beastboy said sadly. morphing from a bloodhound dog back to human.

Cyborg growled in frustration. "Argh! We were so caught up in being happy at being reunited together again that we forgot to hand out their communicators back to our friends! Now we have no other way of tracking them down!"

"Couldn't the Justice League do that? They're some really powerful meta-humans in there," Thunder asked, flying next to his brother, Lightning. The rest of the Titans East had come to help when they heard that Robin, leader of the Teen Titans, was kidnapped, along with Titans East members Kid Flash, Aqualad, and Speedy-or rather _Red Arrow._

"Yeah!" Lightning chimed in. "I've always heard that they're one of the most powerful organizations on Earth! Why couldn't they do something simple, like track out friends down?"

"Batman and the other League members are trying," Raven said in exasperation. "They want to find their proteges as much as we do, maybe even more than us. Well, aside from Starfire," she muttered. "They've been trying to track them down ever since they went missing. So far, they've got nothing. It's like someone somehow destroyed the trackers inside of them or taken it offline. But then again, this is the Light we're talking about, and if they managed to evade the Justice League for a very long time, they'll be very formidable opponents. I wouldn't be surprised if they did something to our friends' trackers."

"Oh, we are very bad friends!" Starfire said fretfully. "We should've never let Robin and our friends hand themselves over to that gloffbag of a scientist!"

"Take it easy on yourself, Star," Cyborg soothed. "It was either that or let the poor child be killed. If I was Robin or Aqualad I would've done the same thing too."

"So Speedy, how does it feel to use a Titans communicator again?" Bumblebee's face appeared on the screen.

"Why can't anyone get it right? It's Red Arrow!" the Titans cringed at the volume of his enraged voice over the communicator. "And to answer your question, it feels great. But we need to focus on finding the Team. The Light could be torturing them right this minutes!"

Unfortunately, this was the wrong thing to say to Star. Starfire let out a terrified "eep!" as she put on a burst of speed on her flight and flew even faster, frantically scanning the area around her, trying to catch a glimpse of her friends."

"Great, going, Spe-I mean, Red Arrow," Raven grumbled. "Now she probably won't sleep and worry for Robin even more."

"You think her behavior's bad? Ha. Try checking out Batman's. He's going crazy. Seriously, never underestimate and overprotective DaddyBats," Roy retorted.

"C'mon, Rob, Kid flash, everyone," Beastboy murmured. "You guys might've been jerks for keeping secrets from us and knocking us out, but you didn't deserve this. Please be okay."


	25. Chapter 25: Accidental Escape Attempt

**Teen Titans POV:**

"Can you locate them?" Superman asked Doctor Fate.

He shook his head. "Already tried and done. There is some kind of barrier that is keeping me from locating them. It is not impossible to break through, but it would take a long time. It's difficult to tell when I can finally break through the magical barrier, but all I know is that it'll take quite a while."

Cyborg growled and slammed his fist on the wall. "Man, the Light are geniuses! Even Slade would've been impressed. What kind of technology do they use?"

"I tried reaching them telepathically," Raven said. "There's a special kind of firewall that seems to be blocking me out. I can't break through it." She glanced at Starfire and sighed. "Sorry, Star, looks like I won't be of any help this time."

A green falcon flew through the window and morphed into Beast Boy. "I searched the whole place!" he burst out, frustrated. "I turned into a bloodhound, an eagle, a rat, and every animal I know that are good at finding lost people!" He groaned and facepalmed. "Where could they be? I searched in Jump, Metropolis, Star, Central, even in Gotham!" He shuddered. "Fortunately I searched the best part in Gotham. I'm too scared to search the rest. My mom told me that Gotham is not a very nice place. Whenever my family would vacation someplace, we'd stay at least 10 miles away from Gotham City."

"I don't get it." Kole spoke up. "Why does the Light want the Team so bad?" Her partner shrugged and grunted. Both of them were currently up on the surface in the Arctic, close to where they live. All of the Titans East had split up and went in different places all over the world to go search for the Team.

"Dunno," said Hot Spot. "But wherever it is, finding them isn't going to be easy. From what you Titans told us, they're as clever as the Brain."

"That's true," Red Arrow said. Those were the first words he had said calmly ever since he found out that the Light had the Team. He turned to Beast Boy. "Don't worry about searching in Gotham, they're way too smart to hide them there."

"You know the Light better than we do. Do you know the kind of place where they would hide a captive?" Raven asked.

"No. They would hide them anywhere. They know better than just to put their prisoners somewhere where no one bothers to look." Red Arrow clenched his fists in frustration.

"Aw, come on! Again?" everyone heard Flash groan. Immediately, they knew that he had tried to track the Team on a computer, and every answer he got was nothing.

Starfire turned to Red Arrow. "Red Arrow...why does the Light want the Team very much?"

"Yeah!" Beast Boy piped up. "They don't even pay any attention to the Justice League! The Justice League are targets for every supervillain! Why not the Light?"

Red Arrow sighed and ran a hand through his red hair. "The Light _does_ want the Justice League. But unlike most supervillains, instead of just trying to fight them, they're trying to hurt them on the inside, so they'd be more vulnerable to being attacked."

"How does capturing the Team has anything to do with hurting the League on the inside?" Jinx asked, puzzled.

"The League cares about them a lot. If it weren't for them, the Justice League would've been a lot darker," he answered. "If you wonder why the League are protective of them, it's because they raised all of the members of the Team. The League's known some of the Team ever since they were children."

"Let me get this straight," Jinx said. "If the Light hurts the Team, it'd also hurt the League, right?"

"Yep. They officially became the League's sidekicks when Robin was nine, Kid Flash was eleven, and I was fourteen."

The Titans' mouths dropped open. "Whoa," Cyborg gaped. "Robin's been crime fighting ever since he was really young?"

"You can say that again," said Red Arrow, who didn't look bothered by the fact that Robin started fighting ever since he was nine.

"Nine?!" Beastboy yelped, accidently morphing into a cat, whose fur stood on the end, then quickly morphed back. "Robin's been doing the hero gig ever since he was nine?! The Doom Patrol would never approve! They'd go march up to Gotham, and demand that Batman lets Robin quit crimefighting!"

"How old are you guys now?" Jinx asked curiously. Red Arrow hesitated.

"Sorry, but I think it's classified information."

"Oh, come on!" Cyborg complained. "You guys always say that. Why can't you trust us with anything?"

"I do trust you, but..." Red Arrow shook his head. The reason was because it had something to do with their alter egos. He wasn't sure if the Titans were ready to learn about the Team's secret identities.

"If you do trust us, then why?" Starfire asked, looking hurt.

Red Arrow sighed. He hated it when he hurt her feelings, but he just couldn't bring himself to say anything. "...We're getting off topic. The reason why the Light wants the Team is so they can hurt the League," he said trying to change the subject. "And I don't think you want to learn what Batman's going to do if the Light does something horrible to Robin. Just like I said, never underestimate an overprotective Daddybats."

Beast Boy gulped. "Uh...will he go on a rampage or something?"

"I think it's best that you don't find out."

"Huh. The Light are smart," Cyborg said, sounding like he would've been impressed if the Light weren't evil. "They _do_ want the Justice League and they're doing that by getting people they care about involved."

 **Young Justice POV:**

"Are we there yet?" Kid flash asked of what seemed like the hundredth time in only a couple of hours.

Artemis and the rest of the Team groaned. "No, we're not there yet!" she exclaimed in exasperation.

"When are you going to stop asking?" Connor growled, his fists clenching, and his body practically twitching in rage, probably from Wally's many questions of "Are we there yet?" "You ask that question one more time," he growled, "And I'll will personally knock your teeth out."

"Um, Supey, if you haven't noticed, we're all in separate pods with no way to escape. So, exactly how are you going to knock Wally's teeth out?" Robin asked, a trace of amusement in his voice.

"Enough you two," Kaldur said tiredly. He most definitely had a migraine now, trying to stop his teammates from trying to kill each other. "Bickering among ourselves isn't going to get ourselves out of this. We need a plan."

"Oh, I've got a plan," snapped Superboy. He began pounding and shoving against the pod, despite his powers taken away from the inhibitor collar. "My plan is to break out of this confinement prison!"

"We've been missing for like several hours now," said Zatanna. "Surely the League and the Teen Titans must be searching for us by now."

There was another moment of awkward silence, hoping that their mentors and friends would find them soon, and then Wally asked again for the hundred and first time: "Are we there yet?"

"ARRRGGH!" Superboy lost it completely. He began pushing and shoving his pods to the left and right, shoving the other occupants in the pods beside him.

"Connor! Calm down!" M'gaan pleaded.

"My friend! Anger is not the answer to escape!" Kaldur exclaimed.

"THAT'S IT! WALLY, YOU'RE DEAD!" Connor roared, who still had a little anger issues.

Wally gulped. "Oh no." He yelped as he was jerked to the right by Connor's rocking and shaking of his pod, and on Connor's other side, Robin also yelped as he was shoved to the left, resulting in also shoving the others.

"Ow!" Rocket protested as she hit the side of her head on the pod. "Hey, Supey, you do know that you anger can lead you into a sticky situation right?" That only resulted into Connor shoving to the side even harder. Finally he shoved so hard that Robin's pod fell to the ground. His pod hit the doorknob of the locked door, which ended in the doorknob falling apart from the door and hitting a button on his pod. Instantly, the titanium cleared, and he was free.

"Yes!" Robin whooped, standing up and pounding his fist in the air. "I'm out! Connor, you're a genius!"

Connor blinked. "I am?"

"Yeah, but don't forget Baywatch over here," Artemis reminded. She turned and gave him a smile. "If Wally here hadn't pissed Superboy off, he wouldn't have shoved us and knocked Robin's pod completely over."

"See, you guys?" Wally grinned. "I do have a plan, you know?"

"Yeah, right!" Robin cackled. "You were really just bored and anxious to find out if the Light has reached their destination. For once, Superboy's rage actually helped."

"Enough," Kaldur ordered. "Robin, with the doorknob busted from the door from the force of your pod, it should be unlocked. You're good with stealth, sneak out and try to find our weapons, and see if there's a way to escape. Try to find the control room where they control the collars. Don't forget to free Artemis. She could help. If we're all freed at once, it could raise too much suspicion."

"Acknowledged, Captain!" Robin said cheerfully, giving him a hand salute. Then ran over to Artemis's pod and pressed a few buttons. Artemis's titanium shield vanished.

"Thanks," Artemis said in relief.

"Go and kick some butt!" Wally whooped.

"Be careful," M'gaan and Zatanna said at the same time, looking worried.

"We will, don't worry," Robin said in a lighthearted tone, before slowly opening the door and sneaking out, with Artemis right behind him.

"Why are only them allowed to leave?" snapped Connor. "Why do we have to stay in here?"

"Because our Boy Wonder and our archer are the ones who have mighty hacking skills and the best wits out of all of us," Zatanna said in admiration."They're the most stealthy, although Kaldur and Miss Martian are pretty good too."

"Indeed," Kaldur said. "Sometimes having no powers can be an advantage."

"You go, you two!," Wally whooped.


	26. Chapter 26: Through the Helicarrier

"Be as quiet as you possibly can!" Robin hissed as he and Artemis snuck through the air vent.

"Does it look or rather sound like I'm making a lot of noise?" Artemis hissed back. "We don't know where the control center that controls the collar is, or even where they're storing out weapons! Robin, this flying ship is huge. How are we going to find the control center _and_ get out weapons back? It won't be long before someone notices we're missing!"

"I know you feel nervous and pressured that the others are depending on us to free them, but try to stay whelmed," Robin said, sharing a small, amused smile. "Think of it as trying to free our friends from the Reds again, remember? We made it out all alive, thanks to you."

Artemis took a deep breath to try and control her emotions. "Right, think of this as another crash course with the Reds, Red Torpedo and Red Inferno," she breathed. "Except the fact, that there're dozens of guards on this helicarrier and Sportsmaster, Blockbuster, Psimon, Queen Bee, and Ra's al Ghul, along with his interfering helper, Ubu! The rest of the Light members, I don't know where. But since we're all dangerously outnumbered, please excuse me if I don't sound traught."

"We're above the helicarrier's computer room," Robin whispered, glancing down from the air vent. About five guards were walking around or checking security footage. "I can hack the carrier's map and see where the control room is." He removed the air vent as quietly as he could and leapt down.

He kicked two guards in the face at the time, and delivered a right hook to another. Artemis planted an uppercut on another's chin, and out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a guard reaching for the alarm button. "Oh, no you don't!" she growled, slapping his hand away and delivering a back kick to his chest.

Robin leapt into one of the seats and started typing away. "And...there!" he exclaimed, pointing at a footage on the computer. "The control room is a floor below us, three doors down to the left. Let's go, before anyone comes investigate what all the noise was about in here!" He jumped and climbed up the air vent, Artemis close behind him.

"Is the control room where they're storing our weapons?" she whispered to him as they carefully climbed down.

"Positive. While seeing the security footage, I saw Kaldur's waterbearers, your bow and arrows, and my utility belt. They're on a type of machine that I bet controls the collars." he whispered back. "Be quiet and careful once we approach there. The control room has like seven guards in there."

"I can take them all down once I get my hands on my bow and arrows without breaking a sweat," Artemis muttered, clambering after him. She then suddenly bumped into them. He had stopped. "What? Why did you stop? We have to keep going!"

"Shh!" Robin hissed. "Listen!" Artemis cupped and ear and leaned to the wall on her right. Both she can Robin both peered through a crack on the wall. Below them, they saw a room, where they also saw Queen Bee, Sportsmaster, and Ra Al Ghul discussing something.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" they heard Ra's say.

"Good idea? It's a brilliant idea!" Sportsmaster cackled. "It's best testing experiments on live people instead on just mere animals. It's even better when it's one of the Justice League's children!"

"Indeed," Queen Bee purred. "Once we reach our destination, I'll order my subjects to start working on the project, and then we can test to see if it can really work on the the sidekicks. The poor Justice League will be so heartbroken when we do it, if they care for their children so much."

"Did you hear that?" Robin hissed.

"Yeah," Artemis gulped, leaning back and sitting against the wall of the air vent. "They're planning to test some kind of experiment on us, and it doesn't sound pleasant, by how they're laughing."

"We need to tell the Team, the Teen Titans, and the Justice League right away, once we escape. Come on!"

They resumed in crawling through the vent toward the control room.

Artemis shuddered. "Please don't use the experiment on our friends now...please don't use the experiment on our friends now..." she prayed out loud.

"Artemis, there's no need to worry about that." Robin looked perfectly relaxed, and looked as though this was just a test rather than the real thing. "They said they're going to do once we reach their destination, and we haven't yet. So, there's no need to worry until the plane starts landing."

"No need to worry?!" Artemis nearly exploded out loud. "How can you still be so relaxed?! I'm terrified! We're stealthy, but how are we going to keep quiet and not draw any attention once we get into the control room?! There's seven guards in there! Even we can't do it that discreetly! They have guns, and you know how loud a commotion these make!"

"Get traught, or get dead!" Robin snapped. "You need to calm down." He then stopped. "We're here." They peered down.

Below them, was the control room. Robin wasn't kidding about the guards. There were several milling around at the controls. Artemis's gaze shifted, and she saw their weapons on a weird-looking machinery with a few buttons and levers.

"My bow! My arrows!" she cried, fortunately not too loudly. "How're we gonna take them down without drawing too much attention?"

"We're gonna have to focus on our stealth," Robin whispered. "We were lucky when we knocked down the guards back at the security footage room. Some of them here may have some buttons that control the collars. One press of that button, and we get painfully electrocuted again."

He removed the air vent door and silently jumped down, Artemis right behind him. They crept up behind some machines, closer and closer to the collar control center. The guards didn't seem to notice.

Artemis's heart was beating so loudly in her chest that she was afraid that the guards would hear it. Robin on the other hand, only looked wary.

"And..." Robin whispered, as they reached the machine and grabbed one of the levers. "Done! Power's back, and collar turned off." As if on cue, the red lights on their collar turned off. Both he and Artemis exhaled in relief.

But then, suddenly, the alarm sounded. "Two of the prisoners have escaped!" they heard Psimon say over the loudspeaker. "Find them, and track them down!" The guards all immediately grabbed their guns and raced out the door of the control, leaving only two at the controls.

"Told you it wouldn't take long before they would notice! They have security cameras where we're being held, for God's sake!" Artemis snapped, terror making her snap. They were able to speak a little louder now thanks to the loud beeping of the alarm.

"Fortunately, our friends can take care of ourselves now," Robin smiled. "Let's just take our weapons and get out of here."

Artemis eagerly grabbed her bow and arrows. Robin snatched and buckled on his utility belt, and grabbed Kaldur's water bearers as well. They both crept up and knocked out the two remaining guards with ease. Artemis felt much more relaxed with the familiar feeling of her bow in her hands and her quiver slung on her back.

They were about to head over to the air vent again, when they heard a door open. The two froze. They slowly turned around. There, silhouetted in the doorway in the blinding red light of the flashing alarm, was Sportsmaster, swinging his mace around in his hands. He approached them, mace in hand, swinging it around like a lasso, and they could practically feel a sinister smile on his face. "Why, hello there, Boy Blunder and Baby Girl. You two have been very naughty."


	27. Chapter 27: Escape

Artemis and Robin both froze. Then Robin threw a birdarang at Sportsmaster's shoulder. He deflected it easily with his mace. He started approaching them slowly. Artemis and Robin slowly backed away.

"You two have been very naughty children," he warned. "You both know I don't tolerate disobedience, especially you, Artemis." He raised his fist.

Suddenly, a yellow and red blur whooshed into the control room and knocked Sportsmaster off his feet. The bright-colored blur stopped and looked up at them, grinning.

"Wally!" Robin and Artemis both exclaimed in relief.

"Whattup, my best girlfriend and my best bestie?" Wally grinned.

"H-how did you get in here?" Artemis asked.

"Well-" Wally began, but was interrupted when he heard something moving and rising behind him. He spun around.

"You're going to regret doing that, kid," Sportsmaster growled.

Artemis aimed and shot an arrow directed at his waist. Unfortunately, just like Robin, he deflected with his mace.

Wally raced at him to knock him over again, but this time Sportsmaster was anticipating the attack and threw him over his shoulder. With a surprised yelp, he went flying into the helicarrier controls.

Artemis and Robin both threw birdarangs and shot arrows at Sportsmaster while they backed away, but Sportsmaster kept deflecting them, and he was coming closer and closer. He then knocked Artemis off his feet and delivered a crashing punch to Robin's ear. Both of them collapsed to the floor.

"Hang on, guys!" Kid flash yelled, and he rammed into Sportsmaster back with all his might. With a surprised grunt, Sportsmaster turned around and planted an uppercut on his chin. Wally went flying up and his head hit the ceiling.

Robin was suddenly up on his feet, delivering a side kick to Sportsmaster side. Sportsmaster was quick, however, and turned sideways to dodge the attack.

 **"Don't worry, we're almost there!"** the three suddenly heard M'gaan speak in their minds.

 **"M'gaan! Guys, you're all alright!" Robin exclaimed in relief.**

"Robin, look out!" he heard Artemis shriek, and then a painful sensation exploded in his side, and he crashed into Artemis behind him. Taking advantage of Robin's distraction, he'd kicked at Robin's chest quite hard.

"Now, time to get the misbehaving pets back to their cages," he said, but before he could do anything, a blue force field in the shape of a bubble surrounded Robin, Kid flash, and Artemis, quickly followed by an angry roar, and Superboy broke the door down and charged towards Sportsmaster.

Sportsmaster managed to dodge Superboy's attack, but then there came a "Ralloc, og ot Retsamstrops!," and a collar came flying towards Sportsmaster and fastened around his neck.

"What-" he said, and then the collar gave him a painful shock. He fell backwards and slumped against the wall. The Team ran through the destroyed doorway, with Rocket with her arms outstretched, maintaining to force field around the trio.

"You guys came just in time!" Artemis cried in relief. "What took you all so long, compared to Kid flash?"

 **"When you guys turned off the collars, we managed to break out," Aqualad explained. "But we didn't know where the control room was, so we were going to sneak towards the security camera room. But then, the alarm came on saying the prisoners have escaped, two specifically. That's when we knew you two were in big trouble, so we sent Kid flash ahead to check on you guys. Thanks to his speed, he has managed to find you both first."**

 **"Great! Now let's get out of here!" Rocket exclaimed.**

"Not so fast!" they heard Ubu yell, and he and Blockbuster, Mammoth, and four soldiers ran through the control room's doorways.

 **"We've got company," Aqualad warned, grabbing his waterbearers and fastening them onto his back, and pulled out his weapons shaped like hammers.**

The Team readied themselves and got ready to fight, but before anybody could move, something blasted a hole through a wall. The air filled with roar and shouts, everyone was blasted off their feet and thrown backwards. Through the smokey haze, there suddenly came a beeping noise and a bark, and Sphere and Wolf leapt out of the smog, with Sphere in battle mode.

"Wolf! Sphere!" M'gaan cried out joyfully, flying up to them and throwing her arms on both of them.

"Seriously, how is it that you guys keep showing up on just the right time?" Artemis grinned, petting Wolf and Sphere.

"Hey, you two," Connor exclaimed in relief as the entire group embraced the canine and the Apokolips robot. "How'd you find us?"

Sphere turned to Connor and beeped several times. Wolf let out three barks.

"I think she tracked you down and Wolf followed her," Robin guessed. He turned and grinned at Connor. "You've got yourself some very loyal strays and pets!"

Connor opened his mouth to speak, but then they heard Blockbuster and Mammoth roaring in rage and Ubu and the soldiers yelling, and then a giant fist broke through the wreckage.

"Um, guys, I think that's our cue to go," Wally said nervously as they all hastily climbed onto Sphere, M'gaan and Rocket flying alongside them.

"Gee, ya think?" Artemis retorted sarcastically as they flew out through the hole in the helicarrier Sphere had blasted through.

The alarms on the helicarrier was now deafening. "YOUNG JUSTICE!" the Team heard Psimon below over the loudspeaker as they flew away. "COME BACK RIGHT THIS MINUTE!"

"We've got something to tell you," Robin said quickly as soon as they were out of earshot of the alarms. "While Artemis and I were crawling around in the air vent, we heard Sportsmaster, Queen Bee, and Ra's al Ghul say something about testing some kind of experiment on us. And judging by how they were talking, they're eager to try it on us."

Artemis shuddered. "And whatever it is, it cannot be good."

"We'll inform the League once we reach our destination," Aqualad said immediately. "We're in more danger than we thought we were. This is merely no longer a hostage situation."

"Connor, where should we go to?" M'gaan asked.

"Mount Justice," Superboy said. "C'mon, Sphere!"

Sphere beeped and turned a sharp right.

"Just how far is it?" Zatanna asked. "I'm not exactly sure where we are, and I'll need a wand to use my locator spell. Even if I do have a wand, I'm not sure it'll be accurate."

"Hopefully, not too long," Wally said. "Because once the chaos in the Light's helicarrier stops, they'll start pursuing us!" As if on cue, the smoking helicarrier turned in their direction.

"Sphere, get down onto the treetops below us! With all those trees densely packed together, we should loose them!" Connor ordered.

Sphere beeped again and descended down toward the forest. They soon lost sight of the helicarrier under the treetops.

"Did we loose them?" Wally asked nervously.

"Let me check," M'gaan said, flying above the tall trees. A moment later, they heard her say over the mind link, "We're out of sight!"

The Team exhaled in relief.

"Finally," Rocket signed. "I thought we'd never be able to escape on time."

"C'mon, Sphere, let's go home to Mount Justice!" Connor said.


	28. Chapter 28: The Team Found

**Teen Titans POV:**

"How long is this gonna take?" Beast Boy complained. He was ready to pull all his hair out. It had been much more than ten hours and nobody was close to finding the Team.

"They're trying, Beast Boy," Raven said in exasperation. "But Cyborg's right: whatever kind of technology the Light uses, they are geniuses."

"Oh, I hope they are doing all right!" Starfire said fretfully. "Red Arrow, what do you think they will do to them?"

Red Arrow opened his mouth to speak, but then there came a beeping noise. Superman gasped. "We have a reading!"

Everyone bolted over to the screen. Sure enough, on the screen were red dots that everyone could tell were the Team. And the dots were heading in the direction of Mount Justice.

At first, everyone was in stunned silence. Then Batman ordered, "Flash, check the signals to make sure they're working correctly."

Flash bolted out of the room and was back in a few seconds. "I checked!" he gasped, looking excited. "They're working fine!"

"You are certain?" Starfire was in the air in an instant. Her face expression was hopeful yet disbelieving. Everyone else was also on their feet.

"Yes! I checked more than once! You know what this means? If the signals are working correctly, then-"

"The Team have escaped and are heading towards their base right now." Relief and excitement flitted across Cyborg's face.

Red Arrow jumped up and grabbed his bow and arrows. "Where are they now? Where can we find them?" He wanted nothing more than to go out and find his little brothers.

"Are they are alright?" Starfire asked anxiously.

Batman clicked on the red dots on the screen and pictures of the Team came up. "Body vitals are strong. No trace of injuries."

"No way!" Beast Boy's mouth was on the ground. "How did they escape the Light? They're as clever as the Brain! And they don't have at least a bruise? How did they do that?"

Immediately, Batman was on his feet. He turned toward everyone. "Everyone clear out. We're going out there."

No one needed to be told twice. In an instant, everyone was out of the Watchtower and scouring the area for the Team.

 **Young Justice POV:**

"How far are we from Mount Justice now?" asked Kid Flash.

Robin fished a device from his belt and looked at it. "According to my readings, about one hundred miles."

"That far?!" complained Superboy. "We escaped the Light and this is how far our nearest escape is?"

"Hey, they knocked us out, remember?" Artemis reminded him. "It wasn't only so we wouldn't think up of any escape plans, it also so we couldn't figure out the nearest way to find the Justice League."

Suddenly, Miss Martian frowned and put a hand to her head.

"What is it, M'gaan?" asked Zatanna asked.

"I can sense that a group is following us," she said, closing her eyes.

"A group?" Kid Flash's eyes widened. "What if it's the Light?"

"Team, prepare and arm yourselves!" Kaldur ordered, pulling out his water bearers, forming into the shape into a pair of maces. Robin pulled out a pair of batarangs from his utility belt, Artemis fitted one of her arrows into her bowstring, M'gaan's eyes started gleaming green, ready to use her telekinesis and spread out her arms, Wolf crouched and started growling with his eyes darting around his surroundings, and Superboy, Kid flash, Zatanna, and Rocket all got into defensive postures.

"Where are they?!" Kid flash cried out hysterically, staring madly around at the deserted landscape, Mount Justice, a small speck in the distance. "Their helicarrier is huge! We should be able to see it from miles away!"

"Sphere, go faster, girl!" Connor urged. Sphere beeped urgently back and accelerated.

Suddenly, something burst out of the water beneath them. KF gave a high-pitched shriek and covered his face with his hands. "It's Black Manta! He's found us! They found us! We're doomed! AHHHHH!"

At first, Kaldur held his weapons in front of him protectively. But then his entire demeanor changed, and his expression changed from determined to puzzled to shock and delight. "Tram?" he asked incredulously.

A small squid-shaped creature leapt out from the water toward Sphere. Sphere instinctively backed away.

"My friends, it is alright!" he called. "Do not fight! It is only my dear friend and henchman, Tram!" He swept out his hand, and a water funnel rose out of the ocean, carrying Tram up into Sphere.

Tram let out a bark of pleasure and threw his arms around Kaldur, who gave him a hug back.

Robin laughed, clutching his stomach. "Oh my god...KF..." he managed to gasp out. "You were so hilarious...you were screaming like a girl and acting like Tram was a terrible monster coming to devour us!"

"Shut up," Wally muttered, his face as red as his hair. Artemis right next to him was laughing so hard that she could barely speak.

Superboy looked confused and wary. "You have a henchman named Tram, who can also breathe underwater too?" he asked slowly.

"Hello Megan!" M'gaan cried. "I think I remember him from one of your memories with the Titans! He is even cuter up close!" she gushed.

"Wow, Kaldur," Raquel said, looking impressed. "You're still like a sidekick to Aquaman, and it's like you've already got your own protege."

Robin let out a giggle. "Looks like Tram really misses you, Aqualad. He's like a hug monster right now."

"Indeed," Kaldur managed to choke out, since Tram's arms were wrapped tightly around his neck.

Tram finally let go of him and let out several growls and barks.

"What is he saying, exactly?" Zatanna asked, looking confused.

"He's asking me how and why I look like this right now, and how we managed to rescue ourselves from the Light," Kaldur translated. "I think the Teen Titans must've told him what'd happened, but they forgot to include my different appearance and demeanor."

"How did you even find us?" Zatanna asked again, looking interested, but before anyone could say anything, Sphere started beeping like crazy.

"What's wrong, buddy?" Connor asked, patting her gently. Suddenly M'gaan grimaced again.

"M'gaan, what's wrong?" he asked in alarm, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"The group...following us...coming...even closer..." she said. Her eyes widened. "If they're the Light, we have to go now!"

"Ru-" Wally began in panic, but he never finished his one-word sentence, even for a speedster who talks fast. A red and blue blur flew over Sphere and stopped, hovering over them.

At first, they all stared up at the figure warily, but then their expressions changed to sheer delight and relief, especially Connor.

"Superman-Clark?!" he cried out in disbelief. "How-when did you-"

"You're all alright!" Clark cried in relief. "And you all saved yourselves! How did you do that?"

"Long story short," Artemis said. "Connor's rage and Wally acting like a nuisance actually saved us all."

Superman looked incredibly puzzled when he heard that. "Huh?"

"We'll explain later," M'gaan said. She looked around the landscape excitedly. "Where's Uncle J'onn? Is he here yet?"

"J'onn and the others are on their way," Superman explained. "I told the others to wait at Mount Justice, since you guys were heading over there." He turned and grinned and Robin. "And you have a certain girlfriend who just can't wait to get her hands on you."

Robin's face paled. "Oh no.."

"What? What's wrong?" Artemis questioned. "Starfire is going to be really happy when she sees you. Why looking so scared? I've seen how affectionate, gentle, and caring she is to her friends. There's nothing to worry about, she's not going to kill you! Well, maybe," she muttered to herself.

Robin shook his head. "Oh no, you guys don't know Starfire. Do you guys have any idea how tight her grip is when she hugs? Last time she gave me one of her special friendship hugs I got finger-shaped bruises on my waist, even through my clothes and cape. And that was only when we were at a beach and when she was gushing on and on about how great it is. Once she does get her hands on me, she's going to glomp all over me again so ferociously that I'd probably suffocate and pass out, and then try to make me do you-know-what with her again."

"Wait..." Superman's eyes widened. "She asked you that now?! You're still a kid, for god's sake! Just...oh my god, really?" he gaped. He shook his head in disbelief. "If Batman ever found out Starfire asked you that he's is going to bust a blood vessel and spontaneously combust from anger."

Robin blushed, his fingers self-consciously traveling toward the hook clasp on his cape, which gave him away.

"Holy..." Wally burst out laughing. "So that's where she tries to begin."

"Enough," Kaldur said firmly, but gently, seeing Robin's mortified expression. "Let's just go and head to Mount Justice. I hope my king didn't blame himself for what happened to me."

Sphere beeped in agreement and resumed flying over to Mount Justice, Superman flying right beside them.

"Don't worry Robin..." Superman looked amused and slightly grossed out at the same time. "I promise I won't tell Batman."

"How did you-" Robin began.

"Didn't need to tell. I can tell by seeing your face expression, " Superman said. He sniggered. "I've never seen you look so mortified in your entire life. Not since you wore your old and previous Robin costume."

"Oh please...don't talk about it," Robin groaned.

Before they knew it, all of the League and the Titans came out of the bushes. As soon as they saw them, relief and happiness appeared on their faces.

"Kid! You're all right!" Flash exclaimed, zooming over to Wally and giving him a huge bear hug.

"Of course I'm all right. Why wouldn't' I be?" Wally grinned, hugging him back enthusiastically.

"Robin!" Robin turned around to be smothered by a red haired alien. His eyes almost bugged out of his head and his face turned blue as he was being squeezed tightly. He was squished so tightly, he could barely hear Wally snickering.

Batman raised an eyebrow under his cowl questioningly, but did not intervene.

"Starfire...can't...breathe..." Dick barely managed to gasp out, but Star was so overcome with happiness and relief that she didn't hear him.

"Robin, oh my boyfriend, you're alright!" she gushed. She hugged him more firmly and gave him a deep, long, and passionate kiss which nearly gagged him. He was unable to pull away because of her super strength, so he just closed his eyes and just tried to enjoy it.

"Hey, will you stop now? I wanna hug him too," Beastboy said impatiently, looking annoyed. Of course, Starfire ignored him.

"Uncle J'onn!" M'gaan squealed, leaping into her uncle's arms.

"Hello, M'gaan," J'onn said, hugging her back lovingly. "I am pleased to see you are alright, and impressed that you manged to take care of yourself very well without suffering a single scratch."

""Whattup, Artemis?" Green Arrow grinned, giving her a brief hug. "You saved yourself! For a blonde girl who doesn't have any superpowers, you certainly can kick butt!"

"Kicking butt I sure can do," Artemis grinned back. "And if anyone doesn't believe that theory, like Kid Idiot, I'll be happy to demonstrate on them."

"Icon!" Racquel cried out. "It's so great to see you!"

"It's great to see you too," Icon smiled in relief. "I was so worried. Please be more careful next time."

"My King!" exclaimed Aqualad, clasping his webbed hands in his again. "It is wonderful to see you again."

"You too, Aqualad," Aquaman answered, looking immensely relieved. "It is a noble and courageous thing to sacrifice your life for someone else, but if you pull a stunt like this again I'm bringing you back to Atlantis to keep you safe."

Batman cleared his throat impatiently, looking over at Robin and Starfire, who were still forcibly embracing quite more closely than he would've preferred.

Starfire finally pulled away, and Robin let out a gasp and took several deep breaths. She leaned in and whispered something in his eye. His eyes widened. "Um...no thank you Star...like I said.. we're too young..." he murmured, trying to keep his voice down for the sake of his mentor.

"But-" Starfire protested, tugging his hand.

Robin shook his head. "Sorry, Star," he said, giving her an apologetic smile. "I'm not ready yet, and maybe not ever. But we don't have to do that to show affection."

He then turned and leapt into Batman's arms. "Bru-Batman!" he cried out with joy, burying his face in his chest.

Bruce hugged him back lovingly and bent down to his height level.. "It's good to see you again, chum," he murmured, patting him softly in his back. He then pulled him back, and put his hands on his shoulders, a stern expression on his face. "How could you turn yourself in?" he lectured. "Do you have any idea how worried I was? Do-"

"I couldn't do anything when an innocent life was in danger!" Dick protested. "And that boy was just a child!"

Raven gave Robin a rare smile and put a hand on his shoulder, which from Raven, was very affectionate and rare sign from her. "It was very unselfish of you to do that, Robin. I am glad to see that you have managed to rescue yourself. I'm...impressed."

Cyborg and Beastboy leapt on him, giving him big bear hugs-literally. Beastboy had turned into a huge grizzly bear.

"Dude, it's so good to see you again!" Beastboy gushed.

"Do you have any idea how worried we've been?" Cyborg rambled, hugging him even tighter. "Starfire was going nuts and didn't sleep or eat at all! I was going crazy because I couldn't track down your heartbeat and Raven couldn't feel your presence and Beastboy couldn't smell you even as a bloodhound and I was so worried that you were injured or dead and-"

"Okay, I get the point," Dick groaned, face pressed into Beastboy's furry belly. "Can you let me go now? I'm suffocating in this thick mass of fur."

Beastboy and Cyborg both let him go. Suddenly there came a: "ROBIN THE BOY WONDER! KID FLASH THE KID SPEEDSTER!" A furious-faced Roy Harper stormed up to them, his face as fiery red as his shirt.

Robin gulped. Wally chuckled nervously. "H-hey, RA! 'Sup?"

Roy finally reached them, and then grabbed them both so tightly that he bumped their heads together.

"Ouch! Roy, you're strangling us-"

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" Roy bellowed at the top of his lungs, hugging the life out of them. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED I WAS, NOT KNOWING WHERE YOU GUYS WERE?! NEXT TIME YOU TWO GET KIDNAPPED, I WILL PERSONALLY HUNT YOU TWO DOWN, AND WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, I WILL LOCK YOU BOTH IN THE BATCAVE AND THROW AWAY THE KEY!" He gave them ferocious noogies that made them feel like their heads were on fire.

"Ouch, Roy!" Robin protested, trying to escape from the worry-induced angry archer's wrath.

"Come on! It wasn't that bad! Besides, we escaped without getting hurt or a single scratch!" Wally complained.

"Wow," Bumblebee giggled. "Green Arrow wasn't kidding when he said that Spe-Red Arrow really cares about his friends.

"Geez, no wonder he overreacted," grumbled Beastboy. "But still, it was like, not my fault they got kidnapped."

Roy was now lecturing and threatening them that if they ever got kidnapped again he'll kidnap them personally to keep them safe and lock them in a safe room.

"Enough," Kaldur said. "Batman, my King, we all have something to tell you. We overheard some of the Light's plans for us."


	29. Chapter 29: Overbearing Mentors

"Aqualad, report then," Batman ordered, his voice back to sounding dark and monotone.

Aqualad took a deep breath and explained to everyone of what Artemis and Robin told him: Ra's al Ghul, Sportsmaster, and Queen Bee talking about trying some sort of experiment on them that did not sound pleasant.

An uneasy hush had fallen over the entire League and the Teen Titans after Aqualad finished his report. Starfire reached out and reassuringly squeezed Robin's hand tightly. Red Arrow clutched his bow so tightly that his knuckles turned white. The mentors protectively moved closer to their proteges.

Superman finally spoke up, who was now standing right next to Superboy. "It seems like you all are in danger more than we thought," he said. He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, young ones, but we'll have to take much more drastic measures because of this."

"You're not going to let us go on covert missions anymore, are you?" Wally asked worriedly.

Barry laid a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "Sorry, Kid, but it seems like the only way to keep you and the others safe. Oh, and you're all banned from patrol too."

"WHAT?!" KF and the Team all yelled.

Black Canary winced at the volume of their voices. "We're sorry, but it's the only way to keep you safe. You guys aren't allowed to go anywhere dangerous anymore without at least a League member accompanying you."

"I can't believe this! This is so unfair!" Artemis complained. "We can take care of ourselves, quite clearly, y'know! Why else then would you allow us to become your sidekicks?"

"Jinx, please, say something to Unc- I mean, Flash," Wally pleaded, turning towards the pink-haired witch. "You know that I can take care of myself. I escaped from the High Five's clutches all by myself."

Jinx hesitated. "Well, you are pretty fast and all of that," she said slowly. "But to be honest, I kind of agree with Flash. We can't have you turning yourself in because someone else is in danger. What if the Light does it again because they know you'll sacrifice yourself for someone else's life? Sorry, Kid flash, but we can't take any risks."

"Aw, c'mon!" Kid flash whined.

"Raven, Cyborg, Beastboy, Starfire, you know I'm capable of defending myself," Robin begged, turning toward his other team. "I once took all four of you at once. Despite having no superpowers, I'm one of the most strongest out of all of you. Please, I don't want to be smothered as though I'm 9 years old."

"Um..." stammered Beastboy.

"Well..." muttered Cyborg.

"Sorry, Robin," Raven said, and this time she sounded like she was being sincere. She felt bad for Robin, since she hated being smothered by her overprotective teammates when her father Trigon was coming back, but she felt that this was for Robin's own good. "As much as I understand how much you can't stand this, this is for you own good."

"We would be very bad friends if we left you to fight for yourself on your own!" Starfire exclaimed fiercely, gripping Robin's hand tighter and grabbing his other hand, so that he was facing her and she was holding both of his hands. "Friends protect each other, and that's what we're going to do! I'll protect you Robin, even if I must face zlorgpork and gloffbag all by myself without my starbolts!"

Robin's face turned as red as his tunic. Despite the situation, the Team burst out laughing, and some of the League members managed some amused smiles.

"Aww..." Green Arrow teased, looking deeply amused. "Robin's girlfriend is completely devoted to him."

"Not to mention overprotective as Batman," Diana smiled.

"Oh, shut your mouth," Robin muttered, his face steadily turning redder.

"But getting back to the point," Batman interrupted, "Team, you're forbidden from any more covert missions or accompanying us on patrol. We cannot allow the Light to find and track you all down."

"Are you serious?" Connor growled between clenched teeth, his fists clenched. "You might as well be forcing me, M'gaan, Artemis, Zatanna, and Rocket to stay on the Watchtower again while Robin, Aqualad, Kid flash, and Red Arrow were allowed to stay on Earth and have some fun! If you're going to do that again except the entire Team staying on the Watchtower, some honorary statues of the Justice League are gonna have their heads detached from their shoulders quite violently."

"Uncle J'onn, please!" M'gaan pleaded.

"M'gaan, this is for your own good," Martian Manhunter reasoned with her, wiping a tear starting to fall from her eyes. "I promise you that this situation is only temporary, just like before. Soon you'll be allowed to go on covert missions again."

"No missions, patrol, or anything that involves danger or fighting," Rocket grumble. "Can this get any worse?"

"Actually, it may be, now that you've just said that," Zatanna said nervously.

As if on cue, Batman said, "Just like before, the only place you're all allowed is Mount Justice aside from your homes. You're now all allowed onto the Watchtower now anytime, especially if there's an emergency. If you see a Light member close by you, do not engage, but alert and call the Justice League and the Teen Titans immediately."

"So this means that Robin and the others aren't allowed back at Titans Tower?" Beastboy asked, looking disappointed.

"Unfortunately, yes," said John Stewart. "We need to keep a closer eye on the Team."

"That I will do," Red Tornado said, stepping up from behind Hal Jordan. "I'll put an alarm in my room so that whenever the Team is in danger, I will be notified immediately."

"Oh, great," Connor snapped. "Now we've got a bunch of babysitters who don't trust us with anything, especially when it comes to taking care of ourselves."

"Team, report back to Mount Justice," Batman ordered. He turned around with a swish of his cape. "Martian Manhunter, Black Canary, Captain Atom, Captain Marvel, go with them to keep an eye on them so they won't get into trouble." Then he and the other Justice League members turned around and headed inside of Mount Justice to use the zeta tubes. A few League members, including him, shot stern warning looks at the Team, to warn them not to get any bright ideas about sneaking out or disobeying or they'll be severe consequences.

"4 JUSTICE LEAGUE MEMBERS?!" Wally shouted, looking outraged. "We'll have 4 League members, not including Red Tornado, babysitting us?! Are you kidding me?! Batman said they'll only one one League member watching over us!"

"Actually, he said _at least_ ," Robin reminded him. He shook his head in disbelief, looking annoyed. "I can't believe they went this far to 'protect' us. It's Independence Day all over again."

"Enough complaining, everyone," Captain Atom said. "Come on, back to Mount Justice."

"Oh goody!" smiled Captain Marvel said, clapping his hands, looking delighted. "At least we can still have some fun!"

Raven and Cyborg both shot questioning looks at his childish attitude.

Robin gently nudged them. "Don't ask," he mouthed.

 **"Too bad they don't know about Captain Marvel's real age," said Artemis. "I mean, look at Raven's expression.**

 **"Guys, cut him some slack. He's only 10, after all," M'gaan said.**

 **"He thinks hanging out like this is fun; I think this is going to turn out boring," Connor snapped. "I was going to go out flying with Sphere and Wolf. But noooooooo, our mentors just had to suffocate us and be overbearing."**

 **"On the bright side, we'll all get to spend some time together," Zatanna said.**

 **"Yeah," said Rocket. "I mean, look at Starfire. She's quivering in excitement of getting to spend time with Robin, her boyfriend."**

 **"Robin, I would advise you to be careful," Kaldur said. "From what I've heard, Tamaraneans have very strong muscles and strengths. Keep your guard up when she wants a hug."**

 **"Oh gee," Robin said, shuddering. "After spending time with her and nearly getting strangled to death a couple of times, you think I need to be told?"**


	30. Chapter 30: Cookies

"Cool! You guys have New Super Mario Brothers? Can I play?" gushed Captain Marvel excitedly. Raven looked confused and annoyed at his behavior and promptly left the room, since video games have always drove her crazy after her experiences listening to Cyborg and Beastboy play.

"Awesome! I never knew a high respected League member loves video games!" Beastboy exclaimed, looking ecstatic. "I'm in!"

"Me too!" grinned Cyborg, grabbing a controller and plopping onto the couch.

Superboy grunted in annoyance from the couch, and stood up and walked away, disappointed.

"Let me guess, you wanted to watch your favorite show again," guessed Robin. He cackled. "Sorry Supey, but I definitely know that no one will want to watch it, except Raven, if it means she won't have to listen Cyborg and Beastboy argue over the video game remote control again."

"Perhaps we can all watch his favorite show," said Starfire kindly. "We can can watch for some time before Cyborg, Beastboy, and the member of the Justice League can play."

"Nooooooo way!" KF shook his head, laughing. "Do you have any idea how boring and confusing Supey's show is? I have no idea how he likes it! Personally, I'd prefer to play as Blue Toad with the Teen Titans and Captain Marvel!"

"We never know until we try," Bumblebee pointed out.

Artemis scowled. "Tried it. Watched it. Hated it. Almost died of boredom. Never watching it for fun again."

"Well, since the TV will be occupied, why don't some of you come into the kitchen and help me cook dinner?" Miss Martian suggested.

Starfire's eyes lit up. "Sure!"

The Team's eyes widened in horror, and the Teen Titans retched when they realized that Starfire was going to help M'gaan help. Starfire's Tamaranean foods were enough to make anyone nauseous, and while M'gaan was a good cook, sometimes she'd still mess up if she was concentrating on the recipe hard enough, although the careless dishes she'd sometimes made wasn't vile-tasting enough to send them to the bathroom, just a stomach ache for a few hours. But with both of them cooking, this'll spell as a recipe for disaster, since Miss Martian was too kind to turn down Starfire's idea for a recipe.

"Okay, now I've just lost my appetite already," gagged Robin.

"Boyfriend Robin!" Starfire called as she and M'gaan flew towards the kitchen. "Would you like to come help us?"

"No thanks, Starfire!" he called out hastily. "I'm good! Everyone is whelmed! Actually, not so much," he muttered.

Black Canary looked puzzled. "Is your girlfriend really that bad at cooking?" she asked.

Robin groaned. "You don't know how bad," he said, but he couldn't help chuckling in amusement at the same time too. "Seriously, remember the first few times M'gaan tried cooking? Starfire is twice as worse. If KF tries eating as much as he did the first time, Flash will have to run him to the nearest hospital right away."

BC scowled, remembering the time when Wally vomited all over her shoes. "I'll keep my distance," she said.

Martian Manhunter chuckled. "I know my niece is not the best chef on Earth," he said, "But one day you'll look back and laugh, just like that photo you took of Artemis, Robin."

Artemis grunted. "You said we'd laugh about it someday. Then why am I not laughing?"

"You'd smile about it sometimes," Zatanna said.

"That doesn't count!" she snapped.

"Man, I'm hungry. Got anything to eat?" Wally asked.

Artemis laughed and rolled her eyes. "You're always hungry," she said.

"Yeah, I noticed that too," said Jinx, an amused smile on her face. "It seems like no matter how many pizzas I order, he always has room for more."

"I have a high metabolism," said Wally.

"Whatever you say, Greedy Guts," Jinx laughed.

"Hey!" he protested.

"You should eat something," Raven said, looking at Robin. "I completely understand why you don't want to Miss Martian's and Starfire's cooking, but you should have a snack. I mean, you're looking underweight."

Robin blushed. "I am not underweight! Why does everyone say that?"

Kaldur hid an amused smile. "I may not know about human health much, but you seem at least 10 pounds underweight. Maybe you need to indulge one of those pepperoni pizzas Kid loves to consume, and maybe not to move around at unnecessary times."

"Really? First Bats thinks I'm too skinny, now you guys?" Robin grumbled.

"Maybe that's the reason you're so shrimpy," teased Cyborg patting his hand on his hand. Looking annoyed, Robin swatted his hand away.

"You two-no, don't touch that!" Captain Atom suddenly shouted.

Everyone turned again. Mas y Menos were in the training room, curiously fingering the buttons right next to zeta tubes.

"Mas, Menos, stop that!" Robin ordered in his leader-of-the-Titans tone.

Mas and Menos both let go, looking puzzled. Captain Atom quickly flew over.

"Be careful of what you touch," he scolded, typing in some commands on the keyboards. "Those buttons are the controls of the zeta tubes. If you type something in, you could give access to a super-villain to use the zeta tube to transport. This isn't a toy." He turned towards Robin. "Do you always babysit them like this?"

Beastboy gave a squawk of outrage, looking away briefly from his video game. "Babysitting us? How dare you! We can take care of ourselves! Robin, Kid flash, Aqualad, and Spe-I mean, Red Arrow," he corrected hastily, looking around to make sure Roy wasn't around to hear that. Fortunately, he wasn't in Mount Justice right now. "Anyway," he continued, "They were-are, Titans! Why do you always think we can't handle stuff while you think they can?"

"Well..." said Black Canary, looking uneasy. "The Team was created way before the Teen Titans was formed."

Raven cocked an eyebrow disbelievingly. "Something tells that that's not the full truth," she said.

"Cookies are done!" they suddenly heard M'gaan call. She and Starfire flew out of the kitchen, a tray of cookies each in their hands. They looked pretty normal and would've looked appetizing if it weren't for the pink blobs that inside the cookie dough instead of chocolate chip. And the cookies looked slightly burnt.

Connor grimaced. "What is that?"

"It's gluffendog!" Starfire exclaimed, looking excited. "It's one of my tribe's most favorite toppings to use on desserts! There's enough for everyone!"

Artemis cringed. "Actually, um, I'm not very hungry..."

"Oh, but you must!" Starfire beamed, shoving the tray under her nose. "It's absolutely delectable!"

Artemis retched from the sickeningly sweet smell.

"Cookies?" Captain Marvel clapped his hands together excitedly. "Cool! Dibs-" He stopped short when he saw the cookies. Face turning pale, he turned back towards the TV and resumed the video game. "Actually, uh, we're busy playing!"

"Yeah!" Cyborg quickly chimed in, looking nauseous. "No time to eat, only time to get to the next world level!"

"Cyborg turning down food?" Beastboy muttered in disbelief. "But then again, I'm not going to try that gloffdang whatever it is."

"I may have put a little too much sugar," M'gaan said, looking apologetic. "But it's not so bad. Want some?"

"No, I'm good," Rocket said, her face turning green. "PU."

"Robin, want some gluffendog cookies?" Starfire asked, holding the tray out to him.

He immediately backed away. "Um, no thank you, Star. I'm okay, thank you very much. I um, I have to go train!" He turned and practically sprinted away.

"Wait for me!" Wally sped after him.

"Would like some, Uncle J'onn?" M'gaan held the tray up in front of his face.

J'onn coughed from the unusually sweet smell, and turned greener than usual. "That is very kind of you, M'gaan, but I am very full right now. I couldn't possibly eat another thing."

"Black Canary?" she offered to their combat teacher.

Looking rather pale, she shook her head. "That's very sweet to make cookies for us, M'gaan, but no thank you."

Starfire was trying to coax Robin into trying one of her cookies now.

"Um, Star, I'm not really hungry", he mumbled.

"Oh, but you must!" she beamed, holding the cookie tray.

Robin pleadingly looked towards KF for help.

Wally burst out laughing when he saw his expression and resumed running laps around the gym. "Sorry, Robin, but she's your girlfriend. You're on your own."

Robin gagged, and then glared at then. "Gee, thanks, KF."

 **16 minutes later:**

Batman walked into Mount Justice, the zeta tube announcing his arrival.

"Team, have-" he began, but was interrupted by Robin sprinting past him.

"Robin?" he asked, concerned. Usually Robin never sprinted, because it was a waste of energy for only a short burst of speed.

"Make way!" he shouted, and Bruce noticed that his face looked rather green. He then wrenched the bathroom door open and shut it. Then he heard puking and splashing sounds from the toilet.

Batman turned towards Kaldur. "Aqualad, what is-"

"Apologies, but now is not a good timing!" Kaldur gagged, also sprinting towards the bathroom, Artemis, Superboy,Cyborg, Beastboy, Raven, Mas, Menos, Bumblebee, Jinx, Zatanna, Rocket, and Kid flash following suit. Even Captain Marvel was following them, gagging and coughing, each looking green. Wally, of course, got to the front of the line to the restroom first.

"Hey!" Artemis choked, then bent over, gagging.

"Sorry, sweet cheeks, can't wait any longer!" he retched, then threw the door open and retched besides Robin.

"Are you done yet?" Cyborg choked, covering his mouth. "I can't hold it much longer!"

Batman scanned the room to find the rest of the Justice League members. "Captain Atom, report-"

"Sorry, Batman, but not now!" Captain Atom flew past him, retching and coughing so hard that his eyes were scrunched shut, and nearly bumped into the wall. He flew towards the zeta tube and it announced his departure.

"Gotta use the Watchtower's bathroom, before I loose my lunch!" he heard Black Canary choke, then she came sprinting past him, running toward the zeta tube too. She was coughing so hard that tears were coming out of her eyes.

"Indeed," J'onn rasped, looking even greener than his usual skin tone and frogs combined. "The Cave's restroom is currently occupied right now. And I do want M'gaan to start acting irresistible and make me feel guilty for not trying her cooking. " The zeta tube announced his departure as well.

Batman raised an eyebrow under his cowl, and then he noticed M'gaan and Starfire, hovering nearby, looking confused.

"Did we do something wrong?" M'gaan asked.

"The gluffendog tasted absolutely delightful! How come they do not seem to enjoy it?" Starfire asked.

Batman immediately realized what happened when he saw the empty cookie tray. He knew the results of M'gaan cooking the first couple of times.

Shaking his head, he turned and walked away. He was not in the mood to deal with this right now, and despite the tray being empty, there still could be leftover cookies in the kitchen, and after seeing everyone's reaction of trying one, he did not want to stick around to find out.


	31. Chapter 31: Finding out the Experiment

"Urgh...Thank goodness I got that vile-tasting substance out of my teeth at last," Wally sighed with relief.

"Oh my god...I think I threw up 7 times in a row...haven't thrown up since that much ever since the stomach bug back in third grade," Artemis groaned, rubbing her stomach.

"Friends, you did not enjoy my cooking?" Starfire asked, looking confused at their reaction.

"Um..." stammered Zatanna.

"Well..." muttered Rocket.

"Maybe you just put too much of you Tamaranean sweets on the cookies," M'gaan suggested. "Last time when I tried putting some Martian's spices, it gave them mild nausea throughout the day."

"Wow Starfire..." Beastboy coughed, trying to get all the lingering taste of the cookie out of his tongue. "You actually kicked all the other League members out. You didn't even put up a fight. Maybe next time you should offer some of your cooking to Dr. Light or another enemy."

"All the other League members except me," Captain Marvel gagged.

Red Tornado flew down from his area up in the ceiling. "I heard retching and wheezing noises coming from my room. What has occurred?"

"Starfire's and M'gann cooking has occurred," Artemis kept coughing. Normally, I'd offer you one, but you don't have a stomach, and you're a robot. For once, that's a good thing."

"I do have a stomach," Red Tornado said. "Carbon steel alloy like my heart. But you were right; I cannot ingest any organic or nutritious material."

"Hey, Star," groaned Robin, clutching his stomach. "Next time, why don't you take some cooking lessons from M'gaan? I think I just lost the lunch I ate this afternoon. Batman is not going to be happy about that; he always thinks I'm too thin. To be honest Star, your cooking usually leads to a disaster for our digestive system, heavy on the dis."

Starfire blushed. "I understand. I'll try to be more careful of what I choose from my traditional Tamaranean meals next time."

Superboy had already turned and was heading over to the garage with Sphere and Wolf.

"Superboy, where do you think you're going?" Red Tornado asked.

"Just heading outside for a ride. The fresh air will clear my head," he replied.

"I'm afraid I cannot allow you to do that," RT said. "If you head outside on your own, there's a possibility that you could get captured by a League's enemy, especially the Light."

"I won't head outside on my own!" Connor snapped. "I'll bring Sphere and Wolf with me! And don't forget, I was born to become a living weapon!"

"Weapons don't have feelings," reminded Raven.

"Whatever," growled Superboy. "The thing is, I can take care of myself. Who or what out there can hurt me?"

"Maybe kryptonite?" Wally suggested. "Or Metallo? Or Mammoth? Or Blockbuster? Or-"

"Alright, I get your point!" he snapped.

"The League is only concerned for your well-being," Kaldur said patiently. "They're just trying to protect you."

"Well, I feel smothered!" he snapped again. "Like they don't trust me!"

"Alright, everyone needs to CALM down," Raven spoke loudly. "Bickering isn't going to get us anywhere like Beastboy and Cyborg bickering over a pointless device, the TV remote control. "

"The TV remote is SO not a pointless device!" Cyborg argued.

"Whatever," she grumbled. "Seems pretty useless to me."

The zeta tube suddenly announced Batman's arrival again. He stepped off the teleporter.

"Have you all gotten your heads back in the game again?" he asked in a monotone voice.

They all nodded.

"Good." He turned and started typing something in a keyboard. A huge screen popped up with a picture of Queen Bee and Lex Luthor.

Cyborg's eyes popped out of his head, and he almost started drooling. "Dude! You guys have a screen that pops out just like that, without needing to take up space? That is SWEET!"

"Let's get back to topic," Batman interrupted coldly. "As you all know, Queen Bee and Lex Luthor both have a lot of scientists. After what Aqualad told us of and experiment they're planning on you all, the Justice League have been studying research on what Queen Bee and Lex Luthor studied most. They seem to be most interested in studying in a mix of sorcery and science, along with mind controlling and hideous tortures."

"Wait," Wally said, his eyes widening. "Are you saying-"

"That the experiment will involve something with mind-wiping and tortures? Yes," said Batman.

Wally gulped. M'gaan looked nervous, and Connor reassuringly put a hand on her shoulder. Robin swallowed, and Starfire clutched his hand and tugged him closer to her side, feeling his warmth radiate into her skin. Kaldur inhaled deeply. Artemis gained a sudden interest in her bow. Zatanna started fingering her gloves. And Rocket's gaze fixed determinedly onto Sphere, trying to look away.

"No biggie. I mean, we're strong too. We can protect your guys too," Bumblebee said, trying to remain optimistic.

"Remember what the League and I told you," Batman reminded them. "No going outside of Mount Justice unless you have at least 1 League member accompanying you. For now, Captain Marvel is sufficient."

"We don't need any more babysitters!" Artemis growled. "We've gone on covert missions on our own, thank you very much!"

"We're not taking any chances," Batman said in his the-decision-is-final-and-there-is-no-way-you-can-change-my-mind tone. "Queen Bee and Lex Luthor are both very clever dictators, and they know how to make someone talk through torture. So if this experiment is something torturous, it could be enough to make you all physically and mentally break down. You're all going to be still in hiding."

"Gee, thanks," Superboy grumbled.

Batman pressed the comm link on his ear. "I'm needed on the Watchtower. Tornado, stay with the Team and the Teen Titans. I'm sending Flash over to watch over you all." He turned with a dark swish of his cape and departed through the zeta tube.

There was a moment's silence. Till Wally broke it.

"So...we have another babysitter," he said. "On the bright side, it's the Flash, my mentor. With him around, things are never boring."

The Team groaned, earning them confused looks from the Teen Titans. With both speedsters around, sometimes things get a little too exciting.


	32. Chapter 32: The Past

The Team and the Teen Titans, along with Captain Marvel, heard the zeta tube announce the Flash's arrival.

"Hey everyone! Whattup!" grinned Barry.

Beast boy raced up and held up a cell phone. "Can I take your photograph?!" he asked excitedly. "I never got to see you up close, or in person!"

"Sure kid," smiled Flash as he posed for the camera.

"Geez, Unc-, Flash, you took 20 photographs and signed 16 autographs last time," Wally grumbled. "We don't have time for this. It was SO boring. Barely anyone was asking for my signature."

"Probably because you're not as exciting, Flash Boy," snickered Robin.

"Hey!" Wally protested.

"Hey Aqualad," Bumblebee spoke up. "Remember those water-shaped swords you pulled out of that backpack on your back earlier? Can you show us that trick, and how you do it?"

"Those are called my water-bearers, and no, it is not a backpack." Kaldur pulled out the handles, and they shifted into spiked maces.

Cyborg looked confused. "Wait a minute-weren't those swords earlier, back when we were fighting against the Light? When did you switch your weapons?"

"I do not need to constantly replace them with a limited supply like Robin or Artemis," Kaldur explained patiently. Instantly, the maces shifted shape and transformed into a pair of massive hammers.

Beastboy's eyes widened. "Cool!"

Even Raven looked impressed. "How do you do that? Magic?"

"Combat sorcery," Kaldur said, placing his water-bearers back onto his back. "I studied for years in Atlantis how to fight and do sorcery. I can't just rely on my bare hands alone, when I was in the Titans East. I would be almost defenseless, without my weapons or a nearby source of water. Last time with Control Freak when he invaded Titans Tower and Jump City, I almost instinctively pulled out my water-bearers. I was lucky I stopped myself in time, or else my secret would've been exposed."

Bumblebee and Mas y Menos vaguely remembered something on that day-when Aqualad was fighting the mechanical shark. His hand had gone sharply to his back. He also did it when Control Freak was shooting at him in Titans Tower. He'd hastily put his hands by his sides again, and when he was doing the unnatural motion again while saving a bunch of people, Speedy had hastily slapped him lightly.

"Oh! That's why you kept going towards your back! I thought you were just itchy from a few water bugs or something!" Bumblebee gasped.

Kaldur frowned. "There're no water bugs in Atlantis that bite the citizens in there."

"Lucky you," Captain Marvel pouted. "When I'm not in my Captain Marvel form, I sometimes would get bug bites during the summer. They itched like crazy! It must be pretty peaceful there, although my last visit over there wasn't."

"Fortunately for me, I don't get pesky mosquitoes anymore," Cyborg beamed. "Me being half robot would make all the pesky flies hovering around my head and legs fly the opposite direction! One good thing about being half inorganic."

"You were normal human once too, right Robin?" Jinx asked.

Robin looked confused. "Huh?"

"Well, out of all of us, you have no superpowers, besides the blond archer and Red Arrow," said Raven.

"The blond archers has a name, you know!" Artemis called out grumpily.

"Robin, did you use to enjoy yourself like all the happy people I've seen hitting the mall and the movie theater?" Starfire asked.

Robin looked uneasy. "Eh...not really...not that I can remember."

"It's complicated," Flash summarized, placing a hand on his shoulder, trying to help him out from exposing his secret identity.

("Why?") Mas y Menos asked at the same time.

"I think they're asking why," Wally guessed.

Robin shook his head. "Guys, normally I would explain, but like I said, it's complicated."

"Aw, c'mon Rob!" Cyborg pleaded. "You know some of our secrets, like me being completely human once, Starfire's customs on her home planet and how she was raised, Raven having issues with her father and the rest of her family, and how Beastboy became...Beastboy!"

"Really? You could've have come up with a more manly description of me?" Beastboy grumbled. "Funny thing is, I can't remember how I got my power to turn into animals. I remember waking up one morning with my skin turned green. My mother was shocked, but didn't seem particularly surprised by what happened. It's like she suspected something was going to happen. I can't remember how I got my powers at all."

M'gaan, Robin, Kid flash, and Superboy exchanged nervous looks.

 **"I'm sure he won't put two and two together. He's not the detective type," M'gaan said.**

 **"Well, you weren't kidding about wiping his memory. He really doesn't remember meeting me, Rob, Supey, and you, and that your blood and DNA gave him your powers and turned you two into blood brothers and siblings," Wally said, looking slightly impressed. "It must've taken a lot of practice for someone like you."**

 **"At least he hasn't noticed you look a lot like his mother when she was young," Connor said. "I'm sure he won't find out. He doesn't really use his brain a lot like Cyborg or Robin."**

 **"Just calm down! Just because you and Beastboy's skin are both green, doesn't mean he'll notice! I mean, my skin tone is closely matched to Kaldur, and I definitely know I did not get my powers from him," Rocket reassured.**

 **"Good point," said Zatanna. "You guys don't look alike that much, other than the green skin."**

 **"And speaking about Raven's secret," hissed Artemis, "Apparently I'm not the only one with daddy issues."**

"Yoo hoo. Earth to Robin?" A hand was waving in front of Robin's face. It was Cyborg.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Drifted off for a bit," Robin apologized.

"Robin, is something wrong?" Starfire asked in a voice full of passion, standing closer to him. "It is not like you for your mind to wander."

Robin shrugged. "I guess Beastboy wasn't the only one remembering a flashback."

 **"Wow, your girlfriend really is protective and smothering over you, Dick," Rocket said, looking amused and concerned at the same time. "Only thirty seconds of weird behavior and she's all over you. Don't you think she's way too protective?"**

 **"She's not that protective...yet," said Robin.**

"Hey guys!" Captain Marvel interrupted. "Wanna watch a movie?"

"Ooh, sure! I call The Lion King!" M'gaan gushed excitedly, flying towards the DVD and Blu-ray rack.

Robin flinched as soon as he heard that name. M'gaan noticed, and looked apologetic after the last experience of watching that during a movie night; Robin did not react positively to falling scenes, especially falling scenes when young children loose their mother, father, or both.

"Err..." said Flash. "Why don't we watch Lilo and Stitch instead?"

"Sure!" Wally said, a little too enthusiastically, when he saw his best friend's face expression.

Raven cocked an eyebrow. She leaned to her left and whispered to Jinx-"Do you think Kid flash is acting a bit too enthusiastic about switching movies? Robin looks absolutely relieved too! Do you think something's going on, or does Kid flash always act overly happy?

"Nope, he's not always like this," Jinx whispered back. Her eyes narrowed. "The more we get to know about the Team, the more we realize the less we know about them. I mean, how did Miss Martian come here to Earth? And how and when did Artemis learn to fight with a bow and arrow?"

"Perhaps we should watch the Lion King, so that we can see what Robin seems so scared of?" Starfire suggested.

Beastboy snorted in disbelief. "Star, I've been watching that movie ever since I was seven years old, and I wasn't scared one bit. There's _nothing_ scary about that movie. For god's sake, that movie was created by Disney! Robin has faced down baddies even I'm afraid of. What makes him afraid of one, measly, much loved, non-scary movie?"

"Maybe we should ask him after the movie," said Cyborg, watching the first scene of the movie pop up. And let's try getting some more secrets out of the rest of the Team, since they know some of our secrets. Fair's fair."

"Agreed," said Raven.

"Si!" said Mas y Menos.

Little did they know, Connor was listening in with his super-hearing, and heard every single word of their conversation.


	33. Chapter 33: Avoiding the Subject

"Aww! That movie was so sweet!" M'gaan gushed.

Raven scowled. "A little too mushy for me, if you think. Do you always like Disney movies?"

"Oh please," Wally said, rolling his eyes. "Ever since she has watched the first movie of Disney, she's been obsessed with them."

"Some of these movies are cheesy to me now, but I used to love as a little kid," said Artemis.

"Well, I still love it!" beamed Captain Marvel. "That movie was fantastic! It doesn't seem too cheesy to me!"

"Must you always act childish? You're a grownup! Get a hold of yourself!" grumbled Raven.

"Raven!" Robin scolded gently. "Captain Marvel has his own reasons for acting like a kid, which is revolving around his secret identity, okay?"

"Kay," Raven said, shrugging, although she didn't look too sorry.

"Hey um, guys, do you mind us asking us a question in private?" Beastboy piped.

"Um, not now," Connor answered hastily.

"Uh, yeah!" said M'gaan. "We're all planning to try to bake some cupcakes together for a little team bonding!"

"Mmm, cupcakes! That sounds fantastic!" Barry exclaimed in delight, clapping his hands together.

"Aw, but c'mon guys," Cyborg pleaded. "We really need to ask this question in private like, right now. It's really urgent."

 **"Connor, why do you seem so anxious to avoid speaking with the Teen Titans?" M'gaan asked, looking confused. She'd helped him get out of the sticky situation when she saw his uneasy face expression, since she knew he said no for a good reason. She knew him really well.**

 **"Yeah, I mean, they're always happy-go-lucky and carefree without as much secrets! Well, except for Raven," Robin said. "But they're my own teammates and I know they're not gonna hurt us. So what's your reason Connor?"**

 **"I heard them talking about trying to ask us to get our backstory and how we came to be, like how M'gaan arrived on Earth," Superboy explained. "They also know that they more they get to know us, the more they realize how little they know about us. They're becoming determined."**

 **"We'll try to change the subject whenever they try to bring it up, then," Kaldur said patiently.**

 **"Yeah, but if they just straight up ask us? Or to talk in private? No one in the League, but probably Batman is gonna suspect something's fishy is up," asked Rocket. "They trust the Teen Titans because the three of you and Red Arrow trust them wholeheartedly and what they saw on TV and on the newspaper.'**

 **"Maybe we should think up of a good lie," Zatanna suggested. "Like, if one of them asks Artemis how she knew to use a bow and arrow and became Green Arrow's protege, we could just say that she's his niece. You did that the first time, Artemis, and everyone believed you at first, except for Richard and Roy."**

 **"That's not a bad idea, but I'm not one hundred percent sure," said Robin. "I mean, what if it gets us into a sticky situation?"**

 **"Ohmigod, you're so right!" Artemis groaned, looking disappointed. "You nearly caught me when I was about to enter the telephone booth in Gotham City! It did get me into a sticky situation! Thank goodness you already knew, though."**

 **"So then, what do we do?" Wally asked. "How're we gonna dodge the questions that they're undoubtedly gonna hurl at us soon?"**

 **"Just like I said, the best thing we can do is to change the subject," said Kaldur. "To make sure they won't try to change the subject back, we could change the subject to something they're interested, like how Beastboy and Cyborg are interested in their electronics, and Starfire's love and loyalty to her Tamaranean culture and custom."**

"C'mon, guys, please? It's really important!" Beastboy begged, changing into a dog, doing his sad puppy-dog eye look.

"It does look important. Why don't you guys go and chat with them for a bit? I can help M'gaan with the cookies," Flash suggested.

"No!" the Team suddenly yelled.

He and the others drew back, looking surprised.

Kaldur took a deep breath. "My apologies, for acting this way, but Titans, we really can't talk right now."

"Why not?" Cyborg whined. "All we want to do is to ask a simple question!"

"Psh, not that simple," Wally grunted to himself.

"We're really sorry, but we're busy. I guess we'll...see you all later, although you can help us if you like," M'gaan looked apologetic as she flew away, with the rest of the Team following her to the kitchen. Sphere and Wolf followed them.

"There's something wrong. It's like they know what we're going to ask them!" hissed Jinx.

"But the movie's volume was turned up high and the closest to us was Superboy, who was at least five feet away-Oh no!" Cyborg groaned, slapping a hand to his temple.

"What's wrong, friend Cyborg?" Starfire asked concernedly.

"Guys, remember the memories they showed us back last year? I think I remember one saying that Superboy had super-hearing!" groaned Cyborg.

"Argh!" Bumblebee growled. "He must've heard us! No wonder they were so keen on trying to avoid talking with us!"

"Now I can see why Miss Martian and the others talk to the others telepathically," said Raven. "It wasn't only for missions. It was because not even super-hearing or prying ears can hear into the private conversation!"

"Aw man!" Beastboy pouted. "I hate to say this, but the Young Justice Team do seem a lot more experienced than us. They must've gone through personal experience to talk telepathically that not even Superman can hear. That's so unfair!"

"We can't give up!" Starfire said fiercely. "We never give up! We must find out what they're hiding from us!"

"Si!" agreed Mas y Menos, looking determined.

"Titans together?" Cyborg asked, holding out his hand.

"Titans together!" they all chanted, each holding out their hands to the center.

Unfortunately, Flash and Captain Marvel were listening in the next room.

"Uh oh. Better warn the League," whispered Captain Marvel.

"I'll warn them. Be back in a flash!" And in only a couple milliseconds, the zeta tube announced Flash's departure.

"Hey, wait up!" Captain Marvel flew toward the zeta tubes too.


	34. Chapter 34: Breaking the Rules

"This is so boring!" Wally moaned, slumping over with his forehead on the kitchen countertop. "Why can't we go outside for only 5 minutes?"

"This normally would've been a lot more fun, if the Teen Titans hadn't kept trying to, you know, make us spill our secrets," said Zatanna.

"Why are they treating it as though it's just another juicy piece of gossip in high school?" Superboy growled. "Don't they know that we have good reasons for keeping secrets? They're getting obsessed!"

"The Titans are like that way. They're just trying to help," said Robin, defending his new team.

"Another batch of cookies ready!" M'gaan declared, levitating another tray of cookies onto the table.

Wally beamed. "Thanks, sweet cheeks!" He started to devour the cookies.

Artemis rolled her eyes. "Oh grow up, Wally! You're dating me now, y'know!" But her tone was playful.

"Old habits are hard to get rid of, Arty." Wally had already finished his second cookies and was now starting on his third.

Rocket smirked. "How much of M'gaan's cookies can you even eat? You've already ate like a whole batch of her cookies today, which is like a dozen cookies in total!"

"Serious metabolism, guys," was his reply, as he continued to devour the sweet treats.

Robin wrinkled his nose. "Wally, I swear you never fail to make me loose my appetite. Seriously, the way you eat is sloppy and like a pig."

"When I was a child back in Atlantis, such sloppy manners at the dinner table would've resulted in a severe scolding and bring shame to your family when you're hosting somebody," said Kaldur.

"Me and Uncle Barry eat like this all the time. Mom and Dad don't even say much about it," Wally said. "No big deal."

"Hey," Artemis spoke up. "Why don't we break a few rules? Have M'gaan prep the bioship, and leave the Mountain to fly around to enjoy the scenery of Happy Harbor, or head over to the beaches in Florida to hang out and have fun? Cause if I stay here any longer, the Teen Titans pressuring us to spill the beans is going to drive me crazy. And I can't stand being smothered by out mentors."

"I don't know." M'gaan sounded uncertain. "I mean, won't the League be upset? They're only trying to protect us."

"I totally agree with Arty." Wally's mouth was full of cookies. "I'm dying to stretch my legs, or go sightseeing."

"But our mentors told us specifically to stay put," protested Kaldur. "If we disobey, we'll find ourselves in very big trouble."

"But this is our chance!" Superboy snapped. "Flash and Captain Marvel have left to warn the League the Teen Titans are pressuring us to spill our secrets, and now no one's watching over us! We probably only have a few minutes to decide before they return! And Red Tornado isn't watching us at the moment! He's up in his domain fixing his human android after it got damaged from Black Canary's sonic scream!"

"Come on, Kaldur," Robin pressured him. "If we stay here any longer, they Titans will pressure us more. And I miss spending time with you all. Starfire has not been letting me spend any time with you guys. Any free time I have, she insists that I spend it with her."

"C'mon, Kaldur, please! Just this once!" begged Wally.

Kaldur sighed, knowing he and M'gaan were outnumbered. "Fine. But we need to return in half an hour, in approximately thirty minutes. We do not want a Light member tracking us down."

"Yes! This day might turn out asterous after all!" cheered Robin.

"Alright!" whooped Wally.

"Finally," grunted Superboy.

"M'gaan, go prep the bioship. We're leaving," Kaldur told her. "However, we're only going around Happy Harbor. I don't want to stray too far, because that will get us into more trouble with the League."

"Alright," said M'gaan, as she flew towards the hangar.

"This isn't such a bad idea," said Rocket. "I mean, we're only going to be gone for thirty minutes, right?"

As it turned out, it was a terrible idea.

 **Teen Titans POV:**

"Oh boyfriend Robin!" Starfire called out as she flew towards the kitchen. "Robin, would you care to indulge me in one of your many stories of you and Batman protecting your city?" (A sneaky way to get to spend more time with him)

There was no answer.

"Robin?"

Still no answer.

"Yo, Rob! Where are you?" Cyborg called as they walked though the kitchen doorway.

There was no one there. The only evidence left was an empty cookie tray with one half-eaten cookie, covered in crumbs.

Beastboy looked confused. "Gee, where is everyone? Um, guys?"

Raven closed her eyes and put a hand to her forehead. "I can't feel them anywhere in the Mountain. Does that mean-" Her eyes widened. "Oh no."

"What's wrong?" Beastboy asked.

"Robin and the others. I think they left the Mountain!" Raven exclaimed.

"What?!" Bumblebee yelped. "The League is so gonna kill us!"

"Ah heh heh, let's not jump to conclusions," Beastboy chuckled nervously. "We don't know if they really left the Mountain."

"I'm pretty sure they did," said Raven. "It would explain why I can't feel their presence anywhere in the Mountain. I sure they definitely left."

"Right under our noses?" Cyborg yelped incredulously. "How do they do that? The Teen Titans are an experienced group of heroes!"

"Let's not waste any time," Raven ordered. "We need to find a way out of this Mountain. I'll find Red Tornado to open a door someplace."

"I shall find my boyfriend Robin!" Starfire fiercely declared. "Let us accompany ourselves to the zeta tubes and-"

"Whoa, whoa, Star, I don't think we should go through the zeta tubes," interrupted Cyborg. "Cause I don't think our friends did go through the tubes. If they did, we would've heard the zeta tubes announce their departure. There must be another doorway that leads out of this place."

"We shouldn't waste any time! We should find the red robot with the blue cape and get him to open the secret passage out of the Mountain!" And in a red and purple blur Starfire was gone.

Bumblebee sighed. "Can she get any more infatuated with Robin?"

"Unfortunately, yes," said Raven as they followed the alien.


	35. Chapter 35:Caught

Wally sighed in relaxation and kicked back, putting his feet up on the consoles inside the bioship. "Now this is what I'm talking about."

"Finally we have some time to ourselves," Robin said in relief. "I mean, I love spending time with my new team, but I really miss just hanging and chilling out just like the old days. Or going on covert missions to kick some bad guy butt."

Superboy finally stopped looking so tense. His fists had unclenched as soon as the hangar's garage door had opened and the had flown out. His posture was now relaxed and his expression more calm.

"Won't anyone notice that we'll be gone?" asked Zatanna worriedly. "I mean, Black Canary caught us only after a couple of minutes when we departed to find Red Tornado. And despite the fact that we lied, they found out the truth anyway. My dad-" She winced. "I mean, aren't we going to get into really big trouble with the League when they find out what we did?"

"Oh, they'll be pissed," Wally said nonchalantly. "But having a few minutes of freedom is better than having no freedom at all, just like how jogging for few miles is better than not jogging at all for me when I really need to stretch my legs. I'm sure even getting punished with the League is worth it."

"How about the Teen Titans?" Kaldur asked. "They don't know the other exits out of the Cave other than the zeta tubes."

"What're you so worried about? That's a good thing!" Robin cackled, leaning back in his seat in a relaxed, carefree position. "Then they don't know how to follow us at all. They also don't know how to use the zeta tubes properly, and those transport you to different cities, though Cyborg may hack the frequency like I used to do to mess with the zeta tubes."

Wolf suddenly sat up straight and let out a low growl to Superboy. At first Superboy looked confused, but then he got the message of what Wolf was trying to say, and cringed. "Oh yeah, that's not good."

"What's wrong Connor?" M'gaan asked concernedly, sitting in the pilot's seat, directing the bioship.

"The Titans may not know how to use Mount Justice's controls at all, but there's still one problem," said Connor. "Red Tornado's still in there. They're probably, no wait, definitely gonna tell him that we're missing, and then he's going to inform the League, and before we know it, the entire Justice League will be panicking and sending out search parties and tearing apart cities looking for us."

Rocket looked surprised and worried. "Gee, they're that protective of us? I mean, it's not like we're running away! We'll be back in like, twenty-five minutes! We've only been gone for five minutes now!"

"Perhaps I should tell our den mother," said Kaldur, reaching for the communicator.

"No!" Artemis and Superboy both yelled at once. Kaldur immediately drew back his hand, looking surprised at their behavior.

"We can't tell them," said Artemis. "If we do, Red Tornado will tell us to come back, and if we don't, he'll come after us. It's his duty to watch over us."

Kaldur hesitated. "Alright," he said, sitting back down. "However, we could get into very big trouble for this."

"It'll be worth it," Wally reminded him.

Kaldur sighed. "I hope so."

Suddenly M'gaan let out a pained grunt and pressed her hands to her temple.

"M'gaan, what's wrong?" Superboy asked, the concerned boyfriend side taking over.

"Dizzy," she said.

Wally's eyes widened. "Please tell me that it's just Artemis, and not someone like Count Vertigo. who's nauseating the biosip."

Artemis shook her head. "I feel fine, Wally. I don't get sick that easily."

"No, not Count Vertigo," M'gaan answered in a strained tone. "This one feels different. Someone's trying to pry her open physically and-ah!" She slumped forward and grabbed her forehead.

"M'gaan!" Connor lunged out of his seat and grabbed her, gently steadying her.

"We're in camouflage mode," Wally said hopefully. "Surely no one will see us-"

Unfortunately, he spoke too soon. Unable to camouflage herself any longer, the bioship turned visible, and a tremendous force hit the side of the bioship. Everyone cried out and grabbed something to steady themselves. The bioship crashed to the floor.

"M'gaan, let us out!" Kaldur ordered. "We need to see what we're up against!"

"Hello, Megan!" she cried, slapping the side of her forehead lightly. "Of course." The doorway opened, and the Team leapt out.

Standing right in front of them, was Klarion the Witch Boy, along with Queen Bee, Psimon, and Sportsmaster. Klarion had two huge red arms connected to his real hands, just like when he was trying to pry open the shield Kent Nelson has protected Wally with when he was trying to obtain the Helmet of Fate.

"Well, that would explain what's trying to pry open our bioship," Zatanna said nervously.

"Can this day get any worse?" Superboy growled, shifting into a defensive posture.

 **"Everyone, wait," M'gaan spoke up. "Aren't we supposed to like, try to run and escape. Our mentors told us that specifically."**

 **"M'gaan's right. We should fall back," Kaldur agreed.**

 **"No!" Artemis exclaimed firmly. "I've had enough being babied by the League, and it's thanks to the Light!"**

 **"Me too," growled Superboy, holding his fists up. "We can't do almost anything because of them, and I would like to repay them."**

 **"Everyone ready?" Rocket asked.**

 **"Ready!" everyone chorused.**

 **Kaldur immediately whipped out his waterbearers. "I guess I could use some training."**

 **Robin pulled out several birdarangs from his belt. "Definitely disaster, heavy on the dis."**


	36. Chapter 36: Retreat and Worry

"...So the Team as seemingly snuck out of the Mountain when you all weren't looking." Red Tornado's robotic tone reverberated off the walls of Mount Justice.

"Well, how else are we gonna explain why we can't find them?!" Jinx exclaimed out of frustration. "Are there any exits out of this Mountain beside the zeta tubes?"

"Yes, there are. I will show you." Red Tornado turned and started to walk towards the way of the garage, the direction of where the exit is, but then the zeta tube announced the arrival of Black Canary, Flash, Captain Marvel, and Green Arrow.

"Hey, we're back! Miss us? We brought guests!" Flash grinned.

"Well, I did not miss you," Raven muttered under her breath.

"Titans, we need to talk-" Black Canary begun, but Cyborg held up a hand to silence her.

"There's no time!" he exclaimed agitatedly. "Robin and the others are missing!"

Green Arrow's eyes widened. "The Team's gone from the Mountain?! How?!'

"I don't know! They must've disappeared under our noses!" Bumblebee threw her arms up in exasperation.

"But you guys were here. So exactly how did they manage to leave? They didn't trick you, did they, like they did to me?" Captain Marvel looked confused.

"Wait, they tricked you? They tricked Captain Marvel, a member of the Justice League?" Beastboy's eyes widened in wonder, and Raven exasperatedly slapped him on the side of his head.

"Let's get back on topic!" she snapped. "The thing is, the Team is missing, and we don't know where they are. We didn't hear the zeta tubes announce their departure, so there must be another exit around here. Is it some secret entrance, or do you guys already know?"

"There are a couple of exits out of the Mountain other than the zeta tubes," Black Canary explained. "One is on the other side of the Mountain, another is to let vehicles in, like Sphere, and another is the garage, which is the hangar doors."

Red Tornado typed a few commands onto a holographic keyboard. "The security cameras show them departing in the direction of the hangar, which means they've taken the bioship. I'll type in a few coordinates to find where they are." He typed in a few words.

Green Arrow exhaled in relief when he saw the coordinates. "Looks like they didn't go that far this time. They're right on the edge of Happy Harbor, about 50 miles from here. We have a few extra vehicles that we can borrow and catch up to them."

"Vehicles? Ha!" chuckled the Flash. "I can be over there and back in a flash."

"If only we're back at Titans Tower," Cyborg said wistfully. "I would've loved to show you the T-ship."

"Wait a minute," said Green Arrow, his eyes narrowing. "Something's not right."

"What are you talking about?" Captain Marvel asked. "We found them, so what's out of the ordinary?"

"Green Arrow has a point," said Raven. "You said they've taken some sort of ship, something that flies, right?" GA nodded.

"Well," she continued, looking closely at the screen. "The dot that's the ship doesn't seem to be moving. A flying vehicle like a plane would always be moving. It would be very difficult to hover in midair."

"You don't think that they're..." Captain Marvel's voice drifted off.

Flash's eyes widened. "Kid," he said in a hushed tone, as he zoomed towards the exit. He was gone in an instant.

"Let's not jump to conclusions," Beastboy stammered nervously, a strained smile on his face, trying to look on the bright side on things. "Maybe they just wanted to stop and enjoy the view."

"We need to go. NOW." Black Canary's tone was firm and expected to be obeyed.

"Oh, dear Robin, please be okay!" Starfire flew in the direction where Flash had left.

"Tornado, show her where the exit is before she starts flying around searching for it in a frenzy," Dinah ordered.

Red Tornado flew up, the bottom half of his body a blurry tornado.

"Come on, Kid flash, please be okay," Jinx prayed as they ran after the Team's den mother.

 _ **Young Justice POV:**_

"Rac to noiralk!" Zatanna commanded. A huge red SUV floated in the air and headed in Klarion's direction.

"Pfft, baby magic," he mocked. swatting the car aside. "Dnes eht naicigam lirg gniylf otni rieht redael," he smirked, mocking Zatanna, waving his hand.

With a surprised screech, Zatanna went flying backwards and smashed into Aqualad's back while he was fighting Sportsmaster. They both went flying backwards into Superboy and collapsed in a heap.

Rocket currently had Queen Bee trapped and encased in her force field, with Miss Martian locked in psychotic battle with Psimon. Robin and Artemis were engaged in hand-to-hand combat with Sportsmaster, Artemis every once in a while shooting an arrow, only to have Sportsmaster deflect it.

Kid flash slammed into Klarion with all his might, but unable to do inflict any damage. The force knocked him down, sending the redhead rolling several feet away. Teekl snarled, transformed into a huge sabertooth lion, and tackled Superboy.

 **"I just sent an emergency beacon to Batman! He should be here in a few hours, if he isn't busy with an off-planet League mission or in a board meeting as Bruce Wayne," said Robin, backflipping away from Sportsmaster mace.**

 **"Well, we're gonna need reinforcements as fast as possible!" Artemis exclaimed. "We can take all of them, but Klarion's too powerful!"**

Wolf growled and tackled Teekl, biting into his shoulder. Teekl snarled again and tried to shake him off. Sphere shot missiles in the enemy's direction.

 **"Queen Bee's subdued for now," said Rocket. "Thank goodness she doesn't have any fighting abilities, or any power over women. But I'm stuck here! The battle's quite messy and it's possible I may loose my concentration soon."**

 **"Rocket, look out!" Kaldur yelled, and Kid flash crashed into Rocket.**

Her concentration broke, and the force field broke. Both Kid flash and Rocket crashed to the ground quite painfully.

"That's much better," Queen Bee sniffed, dusting off her shoulders.

 **"C'mon, where're the reinforcements?" whimpered Miss Martian. "I can't hold Psimon back much longer."**

 **"Everyone, retreat!" Kaldur ordered.**

Robin pulled out several smoke bombs, and smashed them by his feet. When the smoke cleared, they were all gone.


	37. Chapter 37: Running into Old Enemies

"That was a close one," sighed Robin inside the bioship. "Too close to be whelming."

"Really," scoffed Kid flash, mortal terror making him snap. "That's what you're worried about. The whole League will have our heads once they find out about this! And of course they'll find out, thanks to the trackers the placed _inside_ of us."

Connor's eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute..." he said, peering over the window of the bioship.

"Connor, what's wrong?" M'gaan asked.

"I believe he is using his superhearing," Kaldur theorized. "Now everyone be quiet. He probably picked something up suspicious."

Connor's eyes abruptly widened when his eyes fixed upon a certain point. "M'gaan, get the bioship down!" he yelled.

But his warning came too late. The Team caught a glimpse of a yellow lightning bolt against black as it made contact with the bioship with a crashing blow. The bioship tilted and went careening out of the sky.

Everyone yelped and grabbed onto the nearest thing for balance. M'gaan grimaced upon feeling the pain of the bioship and steered the ship toward the ground. It flipped a couple of somersaults before stopping onto the ground.

"What was that?" Wally groaned, massaging his forehead.

"Nepo pu eht pihs!" they heard someone command, and the ceiling of the ship slowly starting to open.

"Agh! Whoever's doing this, he's hurting her!" M'gaan grimaced.

"Pu esolc!" Zatanna ordered with a counterspell, and the ceiling of the bioship closed.

"M'gaan, we need to get out before they start attacking!" Connor ordered.

"Hello, Megan!" she cried. "I'll open a hatch door for us." A hole stretched out on the wall of the bioship, and they leapt out.

They got the shock of their lives when they came face-to-face with the Injustice League.

"The Injustice League?!" cried Wally.

"You?!" cried Artemis. "But why would you be working for the Light?!"

"They promised a handsome amount of money if we would catch you, and help us take over the cities if we bring you in," Count Vertigo smiled grimly.

"I was promised millions of dollars, but what I want to spend time with my pet bird!" Joker cackled, pulling out a switchblade. "Let's see how loud you can sing!"

"I was promised extra space for my babies," said Poison Ivy, summoning bunches of huge, menacing-looking plants. "They've been getting really crowded lately and the Bat wouldn't give me any room!" She threw several bunches of vines at Artemis and M'gaan.

M'gaan thrust out her hand, and shattered the vines with her telekinesis, but was shot backwards by Black Skull's beam with a cry of pain. Superboy leapt out to assist her, but was punched aside by Black Adam.

"Tih Natow htiw lla evuoy tog!" Zatanna commanded to the vines, and with and outraged cry from Poison Ivy, they lashed out towards Wotan. Unfortunately, he managed to deflect them all.

"Little magician girl," he scoffed. "You're nowhere near your father's level. What makes you think you can beat me? Tih eht lrig!" he ordered at a tree. It yanked itself out of its roots, and threw itself in Zatanna's direction.

Rocket created a force field around Zatanna, and the tree hit the force field without hurting Zatanna at all.

"Wonder Boy, you are mine," the Joker laughed, pulling out another switchblade out of his pocket and stabbing it downwards towards Robin's torso. Quick as a rabbit, Robin stepped sideways.

"Always wanted to carve this bird for Happy Thanksgiving Holiday," chuckled the Joker, and cackling, pursued the Boy Wonder, locked in hand to hand combat with the clown.

Wolf growled and tackled Humanite, biting down into his arm. Humanite howled and threw him off, but not before Sphere shot her missiles at his pack containing explosive bullets for his gun, and the contents exploded. Furious, Humanite threw himself upon her, but she flew out of his reach.

 **"First we have an exhausting fight with the Light, and now a grueling one with the Injustice League," Artemis grumbled. "Can this day get any worse?"**

 **"Don't say that!" yelped Robin and Kid flash, but their warning came too late.**

Vertigo shot out sonic beams out of his forehead, and she slumped onto the ground.

Superboy turned, saw her condition, and, grabbing Black Adam's wrist, he swung him around and around in a circle, and then threw him into Vertigo. Both of them went flying backwards and crashed into Wotan.

"I think it's time to put my babies to proper use," smirked Poison Ivy. "Joker, we better end this fight."

"But I didn't get to hear my bird sing," the Joker pouted, but he put his switchblades back. "Ah, fine. I'll hear it soon, and I'll hear the delightful sound of you suffocating and struggling to breathe." He burst out into maniacal laughter, and waved his fingers and held his hands up.

The Team noticed strange lights on his hand, like when they fought him back in September while trying to destroy the main power core system of the plant terrorizing Earth's cities.

Instantly, plants rose out of the ground, flowers blooming, and gas exploded into the air.

 **"Joker venom spores! Be careful!" Wally yelled.**

 **"Wait..." Robin's eyes narrowed.**

Suddenly the Team started coughing and choking, and grabbed their throats.

 **"Not...Joker venom..." Robin gasped. "Tear gas..." Then he passed out.**

One by one, the sidekicks fell unconscious.

"Can't...breathe..." Artemis gasped, and blacked out.


	38. Chapter 38: Love Triangles and lingering

"The Team seems to be moving quite rapidly," said Black Canary as she, Green Arrow, Cyborg, and Jinx rode on motorcycles, peering at her tracker on the screen. Captain Marvel, Raven, Starfire, Bumblebee, and Beastboy, in eagle form, flew beside them, with Mas y Menos running in sync with each other.

Green Arrow's com link beeped. "Green Arrow here. What-" he started to say, but was interrupted by incomprehensible babble of speed talk. "Whoa, Flash, slow down! What in the world's wrong?"

"I've just reached the site of where the Team were last seen." The nervous, worried voice so rarely heard out of the Flash came out of Green Arrow's earpiece as he turned it up so everyone nearby could hear it. "And they're not there! Somehow I didn't get there fast enough, and there are signs of a struggle and a fight! It's all my fault! I should've run faster! Now Kid and the others are in danger!" He sounded ready to hyperventilate.

"Bar-Flash, calm down," Dinah said soothingly. "If they're captured, it's not your fault."

Starfire let out a gasp of horror. "Robin!" She put on a burst of speed and flew ahead of the others. Beastboy let out a squawk of protest and flapped his wings harder in order to keep up.

"Star, wait up!" yelped Cyborg, turning up the speed of his motorcycle.

"Come on, Kid flash, please be okay," prayed Jinx.

Captain Marvel flew right next to Jinx's path. "Uh, you do know that he already has a girlfriend, right?"

"Well, yeah, but..." her voice trailed off.

"What's wrong? I won't bite!" he joked.

Jinx adjusted her lever, and fell behind the others. She hesitated for a moment, before saying, "Do you know that he was the one who convinced me to join the side of good?"

"Oh yeah!" he said. "Quite a surprise, since he has the tendency to blurt things out recklessly without thinking, and believe me, I speak from personal experience that it can lead to irritating squabbles."

Jinx nodded. "Well, yes, he can sometimes do reckless things without thinking of the consequences beforehand, but I'm pretty sure he knew how risky it was to reveal himself to me. I mean, I could've just turned him over to Madam Rouge. But I didn't, after his reasoning of telling that I still have a chance to be good. No one else believed I could be a hero, not even Robin or the maybe even the new Aqualad now, being the silly old one or not."

"Well, he was attracted to you because you reminded him of Artemis. I've seen everything that happened from Robin, Aqualad, Kid flash, and Red Arrow secret reporting to the League during their time with the Titans," Captain Marvel reminded.

"Yes, I've been told," Jinx sighed glumly, putting a hand on her pink hair. "But he was my only true friend for the longest time. During the High Five, me and my other former friends are loyal, but would turn on each other if it means they would get out alive. We would also try to take valauble possessions from each other too if we got a lesser amount. And it used to be funny to humiliate other students in a mean way at my former school. That was the way of the High Five. Kid flash was the only one that would sacrifice his life for me, and is 100% loyal. So I know the effort's futile, but I-"

"But you still have feelings for him, and you're trying to figure out some way to get him back," Raven finished, flying down lower beside Jinx.

Jinx gasped and her eyes widened. "How much did you hear? How did you know?"

"All of it," Raven replied. "And I can feel other people's emotions, just like how Miss Martian can sense how other people feel. When you were talking about how loyal and wonderful a person Kid flash is, you were radiating feelings that were way too strong for just a regular friend. It's obvious you still like him more than that. But how to you plan to get him to fall for you?"

"Does that explain why you've been kind of quiet back at the Mountain?" Captain Marvel asked. "You were devising a plan on how to get him to like you?"

"...Something like that," Jinx admitted, looking forlorn and wistful.

"And how would you get him to like you?" Raven asked. "We can all see how fiercely loyal and faithful Kid flash is to his friends. Breaking him and his girlfriend up won't be easy. And if some miracle if you do, how do you think he'll react if he finds out that you were the one behind the scheme? Heroes and real friends won't lie to each other. He's been trying for so long to prove to everyone you're good. If you do this, he'll be quite disappointed in you, in it's unlikely you'll ever fully regain his trust again. Maybe after some time you will, but he'll always put his guard up around you. Is it worth it, to break apart Kid flash and Artemis, so that you could be with him, while struggling with some feelings of guilt, and then loosing his trust if he finds out you were responsible for the breakup, or be his close friend and someone he trusts with his own life just as much as he trusts Robin?'

"Agh!" Jinx fired a hex at a nearby bush in frustration. "Why does being a hero have to be so hard?! I mean, I have no regrets, but I just want Kid flash, no one else! Is that too much to ask? I'm feeling like the third wheel here!"

"Being a hero is never easy," said Captain Marvel. "Seriously, sometimes during bad days it's really tempting to just take a permanent vacation from the hero gig, but how can you afford to take a break when innocent people are in danger and their lives are at stake, when you have the power to prevent it?"

"You're making the wrong decision to try to break up Kid flash and Artemis soon, Jinx," Raven warned. "It's quite clear Robin is Kid flash's best friend, and Kid flash was dating Artemis before Robin met Starfire. Robin's not the third wheel, Jinx. Just like you said, Jinx, Kid flash is very loyal to his friends and loved ones, and won't ever neglect them. He's already added you into his circle of friends. It's not easy, but it's the right decision to let him be. I'm sure there's always someone for everyone, except me." Then she flew off ahead of Jinx.

Captain Marvel turned his head to look at the pink-haired witch. "You do know, she's doing this for you own good," he said. Jinx ignored him, sulking. "Maybe Kid flash won't find out it's you who's behind the secret plan once you've done it, but it's possible Robin may find out. He's raised by the World's Greatest Detective. It's not easy, but you've got to let Kid flash go. Why don't you ask Batman, for advice, once you get over your fear and intimidation of him. He's dealt with the flirtatious Catwoman, and Ra's al Ghul's daughter, Talia al Ghul. Or Robin. Starfire wasn't the first love of his life. He still may have lingering feelings for an ex-girlfriend, though it's probably more subtle than you, and there's no evidence, although it's clear they had been truly been in love, like Starfire. Maybe he still likes-likes her. And if you are drowning in hurt and betrayal, ask Aqualad. He's dealt with this before. He's the best person to go to."

Jinx paused abruptly, then turned, staring at him in surprise. "Robin and Aqualad?" she asked. "What do you mean, ask them? Do you mean to say that Starfire wasn't Robin's first girlfriend and lover? And that Aqualad has been in my position before? He's never been interested in any girls, besides playful flirting with the new girl, Rocket."

Captain Marvel shrugged. "Like I said, ask them. But Aqualad doesn't seem to like to talk about it, while Robin insists he's completely over his old girlfriend. However, he may be denying. There's still some playful bantering between them, while Aqualad, doesn't bring up the subject at all. Anyway, make you won decision soon. I got some friends to save!" And in a white, gold, and red blur, he flew ahead of her to fly beside Green Arrow and Bumblebee.

Jinx frowned, and gripped the handlebars on her motorcycle tighter. _"What does Captain Marvel mean asking Robin and Aqualad for advice about having broken hearts? Does this mean that they've gotten their hearts broken by a former girlfriend? And did Robin truly love another girl as much as Starfire now before he met her? Was there truly another girl in their life? Did Aqualad ever love a girl besides Rocket? He doesn't seem girl crazy at all, looking like he was planning to stay single for the rest of his life. He does't seem to like girls much, hot looking or not. Were the Titans right? The more we get to know them, the more we realize how little we know them. Looks like me and the Titans better get some answers, just like back at the Cave."_ She pulled the lever on her motorcycle, and accelerated besides her friends to catch up and to get her answers.


	39. Chapter 39:Separation

_"Where am I?"_ Kaldur groaned as he slowly started to gain consciousness. _"What has happened?"_

"They dare to awaken," he suddenly heard the deep voice of Wotan speak. Kaldur could hear groans and grunts of his teammates starting to wake up.

Kaldur blearily opened his eyes, and then he noticed that they were in a glowing orange cage like before, except that Robin and Miss Martian were also in, so a chance in escaping seems highly unlikely. Black Adam was flying alongside the cage, with Wotan keeping the cage intact, with the rest of the Injustice League members standing on top of the cage.

"Aw, come on! Again? I hate being confined!" Wally groaned.

"Do not waste your time on trying to break the cage, Atlantean and magician," said Wotan, smiling grimly. "You've tried before, and failed."

"Oh yeah?" snapped Zatanna. "Nepo pu eht egac!" The cage's bars shivered, but did not open.

"Where are you taking us? To the Light?" Wally asked nervously.

"Of course," said Count Vertigo. "And then we'll get our promised money and reward. Do not even try to contact the Justice League. We took your com links as well as your weapons."

Robin, Aqualad, and Robin looked down at themselves, and then they noticed that their weapons were gone.

"Ugh! Again?" Artemis snapped. "I feel totally naked without my arrows!"

"What's wrong? Are you being pouty that we took away the toys from the children?" The Joker burst out laughing at his own joke. Of course, no one joined in. No one thought he was funny.

 **"M'gaan, can you try contacting your uncle?" Aqualad asked.**

 **"He's out of range," said M'gaan. "But the Justice League put trackers inside of us, so-"**

 **"Yes, yes, they'll find us," interrupted Artemis grumpily. "Did I ever mention how tired I'm getting of this? Can the League get any nosier?"**

 **"I hate to admit it," said Rocket. "But they were right about putting trackers in us, now that we're captured."**

 **"Wait a minute," said Connor, looking around the cage, one hand around Wolf's fur. "Where's Sphere? Wasn't she captured?"**

 **"Don't know," said Robin. "But hopefully she managed to escape and get word to Batman and the others."**

There was suddenly a loud beeping noise, and Sphere flew out of the sky and rammed herself into Wotan. The cage vanished and everyone fell, since there was nothing to keep them in the air. Wotan had been flying out towards the ocean away from Happy Harbor, so everyone fell and splashed into the salty water, except for Black Adam, Rocket, who'd caught Kaldur, and M'gaan who'd caught Connor by levitating him down gently.

"Wols nwod ruo llaf!" Zatanna commanded, and everyone else gently floated to the ground.

"Thanks," said Artemis, turning to look at her.

"Don't mention it," she said.

"Team, prepare yourselves," Kaldur ordered, taking a step deeper into the water. Fortunately, the Injustice League hadn't gone far out to sea yet; the water came up to Robin's shoulders.

"Please, Atlantean," Count Vertigo scoffed. "Without your water-based weapons, how will you summon and channel the currents?"

"I don't need my water bearers to control the water," Kaldur said quite calmly. "I learned how to control it on my own during my time with the Teen Titans, having to learn how to fight without my water bearers." His eyes grew focused, and he put a hand into the water. Instantly, a ten-foot wave rose out of the sea and doused itself onto Vertigo and Black Skull.

Connor and Humanite were engaged in hand-to-hand combat, super strength poised against one another. Connor punched at the gorilla's face, but the gorilla punched back.

"Etacilpud Hsalfdik!" Zatanna ordered, and five other duplicates of Kid flash appeared, all running over Poison Ivy and Black Adam. Some landed several lucky hits on Poison Ivy, but Black Adam punched the rest all away. Rocket flew up to him and held up a force field. Black Adam angrily punched at the force field, but not even his nearly unlimited strength could break the force field.

"Come on, bird boy, let's dance!" the Joker laughed, holding up his switchblades again. "Wanna tango?" His knife stabbed down towards Robin's stomach. With a concentrated grimace, Robin blocked and counterattacked, punching the Joker in the nose, then roundhouse kicking him in the side, making him drop one of his knives.

 **"M'gaan, we need to retreat. Call the bioship!" Kaldur ordered.**

M'gaan nodded, and her eyes glowed green. The bioship, in camouflage mode, flew down towards the chaos and din on the beach. The side hatch door opened up.

 **"Everyone, retreat!" Kaldur commanded.**

Everyone turned and fled towards the bioship, being closely pursued by the Injustice League.

"Don't let them get away!" Count Vertigo yelled angrily. "Get them!"

 **"We're not going to get on the ship in time!" Rocket realized with alarm. "Except for Kid flash, we're goners!"**

 **"Go!" Robin suddenly ordered. He held up his fists and turned around. "Some of us has got to keep them busy."**

 **"I'll help too," Kid flash raced up next to him. "Don't expect me to let you take them all by yourselves. What kind of best friend I'll be if I let my best bud for dead like that?"**

 **"Me too," said Kaldur, standing alongside Wally. "I'm the leader, and it's my duty to protect my teammates. The rest of you, go and get yourselves to safety."**

 **"Guys, no!" Rocket cried, looking desperate.**

 **"We won't leave you behind!" Artemis exclaimed. "Wally, we've only been a couple for a few days! I am most certainly not leaving you behind!"**

 **"I'm not letting you do this," Connor growled, shifting into a protective stance in front of the trio.**

 **"Don't do this!" M'gaan pleaded her eyes growing moist.**

 **"No! There must be some other way!" Zatanna implored her eyes pleading.**

 **"Sorry, guys. Stay whelmed. Tell Batman and Starfire and the others what happened, and that I'm sorry." Robin flipped over some dead plants over the water in curtsy of Poison and Ivy and ran to confront the Injustice League, Kid flash following suit.**

 **"Team, I order you to go! Don't let our sacrifice be in vain." With that, Kaldur turned and ran toward the fight after Robin and Kid flash.**

With a sob, M'gaan and the others flew inside the bioship and automatically buckled themselves, Wolf and Sphere following suit, though extremely reluctantly. They didn't want to leave, but they knew Kaldur was right. If they didn't leave and tell the League what happened, Robin, Kid flash, and Aqualad's sacrifice would be in vain. They probably would die or be taken prisoner for nothing. The bioship rose and took off.

There were suddenly several yells of pain. The remaining members of the Team looked out the window. Black Adam had punched Wally and knocked him out cold. Count Vertigo was keeping Kaldur subdued by his waves of nausea and weakness. And Wotan had Robin tied up with his sorcery skills.

M'gaan burst out bawling. Zatanna was slowly crying. Rocket was horrified, her eyes and mouth wide open, wanting to fly back completely speechless, Artemis had tears slowly coming out of her eyes, and Connor was roaring in anger, his fists pressed against the wall of the bioship, so desperately wanting to leap out and protect his fallen teammates with everything he'd got.

But they didn't, and couldn't, as the biosip flew out of sight, leaving three of their closest friends behind.

 **Teen Titans and Justice League POV:**

"There's the Team! They're only about 15 miles away from us!" Black Canary announced, pointing to a beacon on her screen.

"On my way!" Flash raced over to the direction where the bioship was heading ahead of the group.

"Hey, um, guys, there's something I really need to tell you." Jinx pulled up besides the rest of the Teen Titans.

"Can it wait? We're kind of busy here." Cyborg was busy punching in the exact coordinates of where the Team is currently located.

"No! It can't! This is important!" Jinx exclaimed urgently.

Bumblebee sighed. "Alright, fine. What is so important that it cannot wait until we can find our friends?"

"You're totally not gonna believe this, but-"

"There they are!" Flash declared happily over the com link.

Over where he was at, he had run up to the roof of a tall building and was waving his arms and yelling at the bioship, hoping that M'gaan would see or hear him. She must've, since the bioship turned a sharp right turn in Flash's direction.

"Alright! They're okay!" Flash cheered ecstatically as he raced down the walls of the building to meet with the Team as they're landing.

The door to the bioship opened, and M'gaan, Superboy, Artemis, Zatanna, and Rocket stepped out.

"You're all okay!" Flash beamed in relief. "Wherehaveyouguysbeen? Areyouokay? Ohwaituntilyourmentorsgetaholdofyouthey'regonnabesoangryandrelievedand-"

But then he broke off, noticing the Team's bowed heads, and tears cascading down the girls's faces, while Rocket's eyes seemed extremely wet. Connor looked guilty and very subdued and quiet.

"Guys? What's wrong?" he asked, confused.

M'gaan burst into tears again, and then Barry realized that he didn't see Robin, Aqualad, or Kid flash with them.

"Guys? What happened? Where's the rest of you Team? Where's Robin? And Aqualad? And Wally?" he asked fearfully, his worried tone completely showing through on the last sentence. Where was his nephew? Is he okay? Oh god, next time he sees his lovable nephew, he'll yell and hug Wally for so long and hard that he'll-

Artemis spoke in a hollow, cracked tone: "They took them."

 **(Please leave reviews on what you think!) :)**


	40. Chapter 40:Call

"I-I don't understand," Flash stammered. "What do you mean they were taken, and by whom?"

"The...the Injustice League," said Artemis, her voice cracking. "The Light promised them a large sum of money if they bring us in." M'gaan burst out sobbing again. Connor gained a sudden interest in his boots as he gazed down at them.

Flash's eyes widened. "No, not Kid, not Kid. Please, Wally has just gotta be okay!"

"What's going on?" they heard Bumblebee say as the League members and the Teen Titans showed up.

The Team quickly explained, each statement punctured by M'gaan's sobs.

"Oh no, Robin!" Starfire cried, tears welling up in her eyes as well. "Please tell me he is alright!"

"We...we don't know that," Zatanna said in deadly quiet voice, barely louder than a whisper.

"Not again!" Beastboy groaned. "They were kidnapped again?! Do you think they can save themselves again this time?!"

"It's a possibility, but it seems highly unlikely," Rocket said glumly. "Once the Injustice League gets Robin, Aqualad, and Kid flash to the Light, they're going to watch them more closely now. And in case if we haven't told you, the Injustice League took our weapons away from us. Aqualad has no weapons, and they took Robin's utility belt away."

"That would explain why I don't see your quiver slung over your back," Raven said, looking more closely at Artemis. Artemis sniffed and nodded.

Starfire started to sob, and Captain Marvel and Cyborg tried to calm her down unsuccessfully.

Black Canary looked saddened, but soon it turned into a scowl. "You all do know that if you all hadn't snuck off, Robin, Aqualad, and Kid flash would still be here right now."

"I understand," M'gaan whispered, looking at the ground.

"We won't do it again. Now we learned our lesson." said Connor, looking subdued.

Green Arrow pressed his fingers up to his comm link. "Green Arrow to Batman and Aquaman. What was that? Look, I know how busy you are in Gotham City, but this is urgent. Where is Aquaman? Oh, in North Carolina saving flood victims with Martian Manhunter? Well, tell him to get here right away!" An inaudible voice that did not sound happy drifted back to them, and it seemed to irritate Green Arrow. "Listen, Bats, I'm being serious for once! Robin, Kid flash, and Aqualad have been captured by the Light and-hello? Hello?" He shook his head in disbelief. "Gee, there's the old DaddyBats. I'm guessing he hung up to arrive here as fast and he could."

 _"Great,"_ Jinx grumbled to herself. She was quite worried for Kid flash, but she also wanted to see him and the others to ask some questions. Who did Robin love, before Starfire? And did Aqualad really love someone? At least Kid flash didn't seem to have a former lover. That would've been even more awkward for her, unless you count Artemis.

"Come," said Red Tornado. "It's time to head back to the Mountain."

They nodded, and all hopped onto Sphere.

Cyborg looked impressed, looking at Sphere. "She can also fly, and can kind of speak in her own way? How in the world did you all build her? Pleeeeease tell me!" He looked like he was ready to drool over Sphere.

"We didn't," Connor said, putting a reassuring hand on her.

Cyborg looked confused. "Then who did?"

"We're not exactly sure,"said M'gaan. This was partly true, since they knew where Sphere came from, but not who built her. Perhaps it was the young gods from New Genesis that arrived onto Earth looking for her that were her creators, or the motherbox. But there were no exact or clear answers.

Green Arrow turned to the Teen Titans. "You guys all bragged that you're an experienced group of superheroes, yet how did they manage to vanish under your nose?" There was a trace of amusement in his voice.

Beastboy blushed. "Yeah, uh...we're not exactly sure how they did that? How did you?" He turned into a hawk and flew besides Sphere.

"It just takes a little cleverness," said Zatanna. "Just like how Superboy once outsmarted Captain Marvel so that we look for Red Tornado when he went missing."

"Team," Black Canary called up to them down on her motorcycle. "You all have been in your outfits for a long time now. I think it's time to go change and head out normally for once, or else people and your friends will start to notice."

The Team got what she meant. She meant for them to go back into their alter egos for some time, since there was school tomorrow. They were all rather reluctant to attend school while their friends were missing, but Dinah had a point. If they didn't go as normal humans, people could start getting suspicious if they missed school for too many days. They all nodded politely at her.

"What is she talking about?" Jinx asked.

"That we're needed someplace else," said Connor, which wasn't a complete lie.

"Where you all be going?" Raven asked.

"That's classified information, and a secret," said Captain Marvel, who was about ten feet away.

"We'll go ahead of you guys," said Artemis. "I'm sure Red Tornado following us will be enough."

Some mouths started to open in protest, but Sphere beeped and put on a burst of speed, with Red Tornado following.

"At least they'll be safe for several days," the Titans heard Green Arrow mutter. "The Light won't know where they're at. Maybe we should let them quit the superhero persona temporarily."

The Teen Titans frowned. What was he talking about?


	41. Chapter 41:Resting Half-Heartedly

Cyborg and Beastboy were both playing video games, but their heart didn't seem to be in it, for once. Raven was meditating, but she was too troubled to focus correctly. Starfire wasn't faring any better either. She had spent the entire day crying her heart in her bedroom, and when BB and Cyborg finally coaxed her out, she had headed over to the kitchen to make some food, which usually made her feel better, but instead of making her usual traditional Tamaranean foods, she cooked only normal Earthling foods, which seriously wasn't like her.

The Teen Titans had all been sent back to Titans Tower for some time off, and the Titans East along with Jinx had been sent back to their tower, since there was no one back at Mount Justice, with part of the Team attending school and the other part held captive by the enemy. And Red Tornado, Wolf, and Sphere were all part of the search party with the Justice League. The Justice League had insisted they go home and rest before they join the search.

"So how goes the food?" Cyborg asked glumly.

"Here it is," Starfire said, her lip quivering. She held up a plate of burned scrambled eggs with water all over it. But when Cyborg looked closer, he noticed that the water was actually tears.

"Look, uh, Star," he said. "You've been crying for an entire day. Maybe you should try to calm down."

"Yeah! Try taking your mind off Robin for just one minute! Maybe it'll help your mood!" Beastboy called over his shoulder, trying to be helpful.

His suggestion only made things worse. Starfire burst out bawling when BB mentioned Robin's name, flooding the scrambled eggs. Then, promptly dropping the plate, she flew off to her room to cry some more.

Raven grimaced, and furrowed her eyebrows in an attempt to concentrate even more. "Azarath, metrion, zinthos," she muttered, levitating several objects off the ground. Her mind was too troubled. The objects weren't floating high enough. She tried again. "Azarath, metrion, zinthos," she kept muttering.

 **In Titans East Tower:**

"Despite with you being around Jinx, the Tower still feels quite lonely," said Bumblebee, looking quite glum.

"Yeah," sighed Jinx. "With the previous Aqualad and Speedy around with you three, it must've been pretty noisy. It was noisy enough when I stayed with Kid flash for some time, but it was actually quite comforting to hear the noise."

"Si," said Mas Y Menos sadly, while playing a game of checkers quite halfheartedly.

Bumblebee pulled out her Titans communicator. "Bumblebee to Spe-er I mean, Red Arrow. Gee, old habits are hard to break," she muttered.

"Arrow here. What is it?" Roy's voice issued from the communicator.

"Do you think you can come over to the Titans East Tower? It's been really quiet without you and 'Aqualad' bickering and it's getting quite depressing." she asked.

Roy hesitated. "I'm not sure. I mean, I enjoyed being a Titan, but I'm a solo hero now. And why are you guys back at the Tower? Does this mean the Teen Titans are back at the Titans Tower too? Why aren't you all in Mount Justice?"

"Black Canary and Red Tornado said that the Team were needed elsewhere," Jinx explained to him.

Roy nodded, knowing what the two League members meant. "Well, it is Wednesday," he said. But Aqualad isn't one of the members that're needed elsewhere. So where is he? Aquaman's not allowing him to accompany him on missions anymore."

"Well..." Bumblebee, Mas, Menos, and Jinx hesitated. They've all seen Roy's reaction when the entire Team were kidnapped, and by the way he held and nearly strangled Beastboy, and they figured that he would not take the fact that the three first sidekicks were taken by the Light quite lightly.

"Well what? Is something wrong?" They heard Roy say, and heard a tiny trace of worry creep into his tone.

Mas y Menos chattered nervously over the communicator to Roy.

Roy looked confused and slightly annoyed. "You all already know that I can't understand you two, Mas y Menos. What is going on? Are Robin and Kid flash doing okay in sc- I mean, back with their mentors."

"Um, well, you see..." Bumblebee stammered.

"They were kind of taken by the Light," Jinx finished for her.

"What did you just say?" Red Arrow's voice was suddenly a deadly calm. But they could see the grip on his bow tightening.

"Robin, Aqualad, and Kid flash were taken by the Light." Jinx's voice cracked when she mentioned Wally's name. "But not all of the members were taken! Only those three, and right now, the Justice League-"

"MY YOUNGER BROTHERS ARE KIDNAPPED BY THE LIGHT AGAIN?!" Roy bellowed over the communicator so loud that the Titans East all covered their ears. He looked ready to strangle them again if they had been talking in person. "HOW?! TELL ME RIGHT NOW THIS INSTANT!"

The Titans East quickly explained what they heard from the Team.

Roy tightened his grip onto his bow until his knuckled turned white. He now had a death grip on his bow. "I'll call you guys later. Right now I gotta get to Mount Justice to see where they're last located and see if I can find any clues to their whereabouts. Red Arrow out." His voice shook with barely suppressed anger. The screen turned black and he was gone.

There was a moment's silence.

"So..." Bumblebee said slowly. "I guess he won't be coming over to the Tower to keep us company." Mas Y Menos agreed quite sadly in Spanish, looking forlorn.

Jinx's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, too bad. Too bad he can't tell us about Robin's and Aqualad's ex. I'm betting he knows something, since he's much closer to them."

"Uh, Jinx, what are you talking about?" Bumblebee looked quite confused.

Jinx slapped her hand to her forehead in exasperation. "Oh yeah, I totally forgot! I didn't tell you what Captain Marvel told me."

(What did he tell you?") Mas y Menos asked. Jinx couldn't understand them but judging by their body language and expression she knew what they were trying to say to her.

Jinx took a deep breath. "He told me that Aqualad had a very special girl in his life. Someone that he loved dearly. I'm not sure who she is. And Robin..." she hesitated. "I find it hard to believe this, but before Robin formed the Teen Titans, there was another girl that he loved, before he met Starfire. Captain Marvel says that he hides it, but he still may have feelings for his ex-girlfriend. He said that Robin and his ex-girlfriend hadn't completely gotten over each yet, judging by how he spoke."

There was another moment of awkward silence.

Them Bumblebee broke the silence again. "Starfire is NOT going to like this."


	42. Chapter 42: Hello Again, Bialya

Black. That's all what Robin sees. The last thing he remembers is Wotan tying him up with glowing ropes so tight that he suffocates and passes out. He remembers Wally's scream of pain when Black Adam punched him, and Kaldur's nauseous, dazed face when he was overwhelmed by Count Vertigo's waves of nausea. Why couldn't his nausea waves could be just whelmed?

He tries to open his eyes, but they were too heavy to lift. He let the darkness overcome him again. Flashes of his friends' horrified face expressions run through his mind when he'd yelled at them to go and leave him, KF, and Kaldur to the Injustice League.

"Yo! Rob! Wake up!" Something slapped the side of his face lightly.

Robin groaned, and with a tremendous effort, lifted his eyes with his fingers, since they were too heavy to lift alone. He spotted an orange haze, and at first, he assumed that it was late afternoon and it was the sunset. But when he opened his eyes completely he noticed that the orange haze was actually lines of fire. He, Wally, and Kaldur, were trapped in a cage made of fire just like how Red Inferno contained M'gaan and Aqualad.

Panic shoots through him when he remembers the exhausted and strained state Kaldur was in when he was trapped in the glowing fire cage. He spun to his left, and sees Wally with his hand back, about to slap him again, and Kaldur, who was slumping on his side, looking completely exhausted, suffocating from overheating.

Robin grabbed Wally's hand in midair to stop him from slapping, and turned his reflection to Kaldur. "Aqualad!" he cried. "Are you-"

"I am fine," Kaldur's voice sounded incredibly strained, as though he had used his combat magic to form ten sea serpents made out of water in a row. "But I fear-that-I may be-not much help. I don't think-I- can-stay awake-much longer." He panted heavily and held the side of his head. The heat from the fire was starting to make him feel massively lightheaded. His brain felt foggy and he couldn't think straight.

"Fine?!" Wally cried. "You're fine?! Look at you! You look ready to faint! Weneedtogetyouadoctorrightaway! QuicksomeonecontacttheJusticeLeague! We'vebeencapturedbytheInjusticeLeaguewho'reabouttosendustotheLightand-"

"Wally, slow down!" Robin exclaimed. "I can't understand a single word. And your speedtalk is only increasing Aqualad's migraine."

"Kid...Robin...where are we?" Kaldur asked groggily.

Robin's and Wally's eyes scanned the area around them. "Hold on..." Wally frowned his eyes squinting as he looked more closely. "This looks familiar..."

"Of course!" Robin's eyes widened in realization. "The Injustice League brought us all the way to Bialya! I can tell because we're in a coarse tent right now, and someone left the flap open! I can see the bright sunlight and the yellow sands!"

"Bialya?" Kid flash's eyes widened in disbelief. "Please tell me that Psimon wouldn't come into the tent we're in right now and give us amnesia again."

"Oh no," they suddenly heard a sinister voice chuckle. "I won't be needing to be doing that again. Frankly, I'm not going to even be the one that's going to try and dig some questions out of you, since we need you mind wholly intact for the experiment."

Wally gulped. "You better not be doing any funny business!" he exclaimed. "Because the Justice League is looking for us right now and there'll be severe consequences for-"

"The League doesn't know where you're at," Psimon chuckled. "We're all across the continent. So we can take our time."

"Oh the bright side, I think our trackers aren't taken offline," Robin whispered to KF. KF breathed a sign of relief.

"Sooooo, what are you gonna do to us?" Wally asked. "Just leave Aqualad alone. If you plan on interrogating him, he's too dizzy and exhausted to properly answer your questions."

"Oh, I'm not going to do anything," Psimon smirked. "But he will." The flaps to the tent parted, and a man walked into the tent. As he stepped into the light, the sidekicks saw that he was Ra's al Ghul.

"Well, well," Ra's said. "Look what we've got here."

"What're you gonna do to us?" Robin snapped. "Poke us with your sword until you irritate us?"

"Hmm, swords," Ra's al Ghul smiled, pulling out a sharp sword out of his belt. "What a great idea."

Psimon smirked and stepped back into shadows, slowly leaving the tavern. Ra's, on the other hand, approached the young sidekicks.

Ra's al Ghul held up his blade right next to Robin's cheek. "Let's get started, shall we, for the interrogation? My first question is, how do we find the rest of the sidekicks?"

"Leave Robin alone!" Wally snapped. "It's me you want. Robin's more resistant to tortures than I am. You can get me to talk faster."

"KF, no!" Robin exclaimed firmly. "Take me. Remember what Joker says, about loving to hear me 'sing' when he stabs me? It'll be more entertaining for you."

"Robin, Kid, no," A soft grunt came from Aqualad's direction. "Please, take me. I cannot last much longer in this heat, and am more vulnerable. You'll be able to make me talk easily. I am the leader. I have the most information out of the Team."

"No way!" Robin and Wally both exclaimed at once.

Ra's al Ghul blinked. "So be it. All three of you, then." He raised his sword and brought it down towards Robin's hip, and then he sees red.

 **Justice League POV:**

"What happened?!" bellowed Batman as he stormed off the teleporter towards the other League members who'd been with the Teen Titans in the Watchtower, Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Red Tornado.

Green Arrow winced when he heard Batman's harsh, loud tone. Batman never raised his voice, ever. Usually the more angry he was, the more calmer his voice was. But he must've really been pissed off to yell. "The rest of the Team reported to Flash that Robin, Aqualad, and Kid flash were taken by the Injustice League," he said. "That's all they know, and we're sending out search parties right now. Flash is running himself ragged across the world from Australia to China looking for Wally. He didn't even eat a snack to prepare himself for a long 're not the only one, suffering, you know. Flash looked ready to faint when he was told that Wally was kidnapped. And Kaldur-" His eyes widened. "Oh no, wait until Aquaman finds out. Kaldur is like a son to him over the recent years, like you and Robin. He's-"

With a roar of fury, Batman spun on his feel and punched the wall as hard as he could, leaving a fist-shaped dent in the metal. Then he turned and kicked the dent with all his strength, denting the wall even further.

Ollie froze. Dinah gasped in horror. Red Tornado, however, did not react, since he was a robot.

Batman's fists clenched as he stormed over to the Watchtower's controls and started typing in some commands. He looked ready to punch Vandal Savage's tooth out. His usual stillness was now trembling in barely suppressed anger.

"Well..." Ollie gulped. "That was certainly quite a performance. A very _scary_ performance of the new Bat when Dick's taken. If I were the Joker or Poison Ivy or the Light, I'd go into hiding right this minute, since you do not want to face Batman when Robin's been kidnapped and he's not around to cheer him up.

The Watchtower suddenly announced Aquaman and Martian Manhunter's arrival.

"We've got the distress signal," J'onn said. "What has happe-"

"The Injustice League happened, that's what," Black Canary snapped. "The Team were ambushed."

Aquaman and J'onn froze. "Are they okay?" Aquaman asked concernedly, ready to run to Mount Justice and check on his apprentice.

"Is M'gaan alright?" J'onn asked worriedly. "Is she in critical condition? Am I needing to repair her mind? Is she-"

"M'gaan is alright, though her mental state is not. There's no need to repair her mind, though. She and Connor are attending Happy Harbor High School right now this moment. However..." she hesitated, and glanced an Aquaman.

A dark pit started gnawing in Aquaman's gut. "Black Canary..." he said slowly. "Kaldur'ahm is a very good fighter. Where is he now? What has happened to him?! Has he been captured?! Why didn't you come and help the Team?! Where is my protege?!" he growled, worried for the young Atlantean teenager that was the closest thing for a son to him.

"Kaldur..." Black Canary hesitated. "I'm sorry, Arthur. He, Robin, and Kid flash were captured by the Injustice League trying to get the others to safety. Batman right now is activating their tracker to locate where they're at and-"

"Why didn't you help the Team?!" Aquaman snapped. "You're supposed to accompany the Team everywhere and make sure they're not going to get themselves into trouble!"

"The Teen Titans were busy discussing about some very personal questions," Red Tornado spoke up. "So they got distracted, and that's when the Team decided to make their move. I was up in my room rebuilding my human android John Smith. We could've not known that this could've happened."

Aquaman muttered something about getting more bodyguards and League members to guard the Team and Kaldur as he stomped over to Batman. J'onn, though looking slightly relieved that M'gaan was safe, looked bothered and worried by the fact that the 3 sidekicks he'd known the longest beside Speedy/Red Arrow were now gone.

"I've got a lock," they heard Batman speak up. "They're located in Bialya."

"We're already on our way!" Green Arrow and the others sprinted to the zeta tubes, with Batman and Aquaman sprinting out in the lead.

Green Arrow pressed the comm link on his ear. "Green Arrow to Flash-whoa, you sound terrible, Barry. How long have you've been running? Whoa! You've been running around the world for three hours without a rest break? Well calm down, Barry. We found out where Wally and the others are and- whoa whoa, slow down! I can barely understand you! They're located in Bialya, and-hello? Hello?" Grumbling, Ollie turned off his comm link. "Why does everyone hang up so abruptly? It's rude."

"They're just worried, Ollie," Dinah said soothingly. "Let's just go and rescue Robin, Aqualad, and Wally before it's too late."

The zeta tube announced their departure.


	43. Chapter 43: School

Sighing, Connor numbly listened to the teacher droning on about the history of the American Revolution in the late 1700s. His mind wasn't on the British or the desire of independence among the people. He already knew about this stuff! The genomorphs already taught him about this kind of history and social studies back in his pod at Cadmus. His mind were on some of his most closest friends; Dick, Wally, and Kaldur. He glanced over at M'gaan. She too seemed distracted. Zatanna and Raquel were sitting across the room from them. Their mentors had them attend the same school as Connor and M'gaan since it was closer to Mount Justice.

 **"Is anyone else not paying attention to this stuff?" Zatanna asked.**

 **"I am," said Racquel. "It's hard to focus when you're extremely paranoid that the wall's gonna cave in any minute and you'll see the Light or the Injustice League hovering above the classroom. But that's not the only thing I'm worried about."**

 **"What's happening to Dick, Wally, and Kaldur now?" gulped M'gaan in a tearful tone. "Hopefully Batman and Flash came up with a good excuse to their teachers of why they aren't attending school. I wonder how's Artemis doing at her school without Dick."**

 **"This is a waste of our time!" Connor snapped. "I already know all this stuff! We should be out there, helping the League find our friends! The Light could be doing the experiment Robin and Artemis mentioned right this minute!"**

 **"I feel so useless," Racquel grumped. "Here we are at a peaceful day at school with not a worry in the world, while the boys are being held prisoners in a harsh environment who get beaten a lot! I suggest we come up with some kind of excuse to leave school so we could search for the others."**

 **"But are you sure Batman and the others would approve?" asked Zatanna. "I mean, the League members specifically told us to attend and stay at school until the end of the day."**

 **"When have we ever obeyed a word the League has said?" Connor pointed out. "After all that has happened, nothing to drastic happened, and most of the drastic things turned out quite well in my opinion, like the partners disobeying their mentors on Independence Day and finding me at Cadmus. If they hadn't disobeyed orders, I wouldn't even be here right now! So what's so bad about disobeying once in a while?"**

 **"Well," said Zatanna. "There was that time when Robin told me about the how the mission in Santa Prisca went astray and alerted the enemies."**

 **"It wasn't that bad!" Connor retorted. "Besides, we-"**

 **"Okay, let's all calm down before we cause a mental racket among ourselves and it spreads to the students in the class," M'gaan interrupted.**

 **"Speak for yourself," Connor grumbled. "A racket may be what we need to leave the classroom and search for our friends."**

 **"And then we'll get in trouble with the League," Racquel pointed out. "Which may possibly, no definitely get us in big trouble for using our powers in public when we're supposed to be lying low. Man, this is hopeless!" She threw her hands up in exasperation.**

 **M'gaan paused, abruptly quiet. "Um, Zatanna, why are you doodling pictures of Robin in your notebook?"**

 **Zatanna froze. While she had been thinking about him and Wally and Kaldur, she had mindlessly drawn several pages of him in her notebook, all accurately catching his flawless looks and graceful, lithe body. She blushed. "Um..., I'm just worried about him."**

 **"Maybe," said Connor. "Or maybe it's also because you still have feelings for him."**

 **Zatanna's eyes widened. "Wait, you've got it all wr-"**

 **"Holy-" Racquel shook her head. "Starfire is not going to be happy when she hears this. She's already so possessive of him and Robin's told us that she gets jealous easily, and she gets really scary when she's jealous."**

 **"I don't have feelings for him! We ended our relationship months ago!" Zatanna protested.**

 **"Well, yeah, but technically it was your father that ended the your guys' relationship," M'gaan pointed out. "He didn't approve of you dating boys yet, since he thought you were still too young to be going out with boys. You two didn't really break up, your father made both of you end your relationship."**

 **"Don't even try to deny it," Connor said. "I can hear you heartbeat, and it's beating faster than normal. It's also the same when you're around him or talks to him-your heart beats faster. It's obvious-you still have feelings for him."**

 **"But he's my ex-boyfriend! Things are over between us!" Zatanna exclaimed.**

 **"Sometimes you can still have feelings for your ex. Like how Megan does with her ex-boyfriend before meeting Connor in Hello Megan!," said M'gaan.**

 **"Does Robin still have feelings for Zatanna, Connor? It really sucks if he's really moved on. I mean, he's already got a new girlfriend that he obviously loves very much with all his heart," said Racquel.**

 **Connor hesitated, and nodded. "I think so. When Dick was around you, his heart didn't beat as fast as you, but it's definitely faster than normal. And his breath quickens, I've noticed."**

 **M'gaan nodded. "I can feel everyone's emotions. His feelings for Starfire is just overwhelming, it just makes me want to hug someone, especially Connor. But I can feel his emotions for you too. It's not much and it's barely there, but he still has a few lingering feelings for you, and I think he's feeling slightly guilty about it since he's dating Starfire, and he's also a little guilty that he's moved on without you."**

 **Zatanna sighed. "Okay, maybe I still do have some feelings for him. But he loves Starfire way more than he loves me now. And just look at how happy Starfire is with Robin. When the Titans were showing us their memories, it shows how hard she fought to get him to admit his feelings for her. I'm also feeling guilty for still loving Robin. What am I supposed to do? I mean, am I supposed to feel guilty when I feel happy when you told me that Robin still has some lingering feelings for me? This is so confusing. What am I supposed to do now?"**

 **Racquel shrugged. "Dunno, but we better find a solution to this mess before huge drama stirs up and poor Robin ends up confused in the middle of a love triangle with you two ladies tugging on his arms."**

 _ **At Gotham Academy:**_

Artemis groaned and slumped in her seat, barely listening to her English teacher go on and on about using good vocabulary. This is Gotham City, for goodness sake! The city has its own cuss dictionary!

She turned and looked at the empty seat 2 rows ahead of her where usually Dick Grayson sat. But today he was absent, and not because he was sick or even doing a Dynamic Duo with Batman.

Bruce had told the school that Richard was sick with the measles and wouldn't be attending school the following week. If only he was telling the truth. Artemis had never felt so useless in her entire life. The only time that could rival this was the time when she was drowning in fright and helplessness when she was trapped in the Mountain with Red Torpedo and Red Inferno keeping their friends barely alive and weaponless without her trusty arrows. Here she is sitting in school like a normal teenager, while Dick Grayson is someplace unknown possibly being tortured for information along with beloved boyfriend Wally and trusted, cool-headed leader Kaldur.

"Come on, Wally," she murmured. "Please be okay." She didn't think she could handle it if they died, especially Wally. She'll do anything to keep Wally safe and alive. She'll even fight her father without her bow and arrows if it'll keep him safe and healthy. And the school felt surprisingly lonely without Richard Grayson around, even though she had her friends surrounding her, especially her best friend, Bette Kane.

 _ **In Titans Tower:**_

"Hey, um, Star?" Beastboy nervously rapped his knuckles on Starfire's bedroom door handle. "You've been in there for hours. Don't you want to come out?"

A loud, sniffly wail answered him, followed by a loud honk, which was probably Starfire blowing her nose into her handkerchief.

Raven walked down the hall. "Is Starfire still in there?" she asked, looking concerned.

"Yep," Beastboy said glumly. "She's been in there for hours and _hours_! Me and Cy have tried to get her out, but nothing has worked! Raven, do you think you can get her out and take her mind off Robin for just one second?" he asked hopefully.

Raven scowled. "As much as that's right thing to do for a friend, you and Cyborg never fail to get me out of my room when you really want me to come out. If you and he already tried every tactic you know to getting someone out of their room, I'm probably not going to succeed either."

"Aw come on! Just try! You never know until you try it!" Beastboy pouted. Raven shook her head. "I shouldn't be doing this. I'm not good at comforting or reassuring people."

The sound of Starfire's sobbing reached all the way from the kitchen to the gym.

"Hey, um, Star?" Beastboy knocked on her door again. "If you don't want to come out, would you like one of us to come in?"

"I only want Robin to come in and hold me in his arms!" they heard Starfire wail over the door, followed by another loud honk. "I want to hear his cheerful, comforting voice!" she cried tearfully. "I want him to hold me in his warm, strong arms! I want to feel his dark, soft hair! I want to feel his lips against my-"

Beastboy gagged. "Okay, Star," he retched. "I don't need to hear any more of that stuff."

"Yo, BB. Any success in getting Star to leave her room?" Cyborg's robotic body came into view.

Beastboy shook his head sadly. "Nope. I tried everything. I even tried yelling 'FIRE' and turning into a skunk and spraying stink fumes into her room. She still wouldn't come out!"

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Well, why don't you just turn into a bull and you and Cyborg can break the door down?"

"Great idea!" Beastboy beamed. "Glad I thought of it. C'mon, Cyborg."

"Stand back," Cyborg ordered to Raven, then he and BB charged into the door with all their strength as Beastboy shift-shaped into an ox. The door immediately burst from its hinges and fell flat on the floor.

Starfire's sobs reached their ears, and they found her huddled into a ball on her bed, cuddling Silkie close to her, and covering her face with her hands, tears running down her face. A mountain of tissue boxes sat right by her bed, with and overflowing trash bin of used tissues close by, with at least 15 empty tissue boxes lying on the floor.

"...Well," Cyborg said weakly. "Guess binge-buying Kleenex boxes last week while having a shopping marathon with BB came in useful after all."

"Please," Star wept. "I want Robin. All I want is Robin!"

"Star, the Justice League has been searching for them for hours," Raven said in exasperation. "We've also let every Titan member know all across the world, and they're searching with everything they've got. Red Arrow is running himself ragged searching for Robin, Aqualad, and Kid flash with little food and no sleep in the last 24 hours, and no one can convince him to take a break, not even Green Arrow. He says he won't rest until he finds his friends. He has been impatient and extremely grumpy and angry lately without them. Out of all of the Teen Titans except for us and Jinx and maybe even more the the Titan's East, he's the most motivated to find the sidekicks. We're doing the best we can."

Star just continued to weep, clearly not satisfied with Raven's answer.

"Geez!" Cyborg exclaimed. "After our trip from Tokyo, all Star has been wanting to do is to go on dates with Robin! I think she's suffering from a Robin-withdrawal. She's been spending all her time with him and barely any time with us at all."

"And for the first time, she didn't keep asking for us to go to the mall with her," Beastboy said in awe. "No one can stop her from going on a shopping spree every week. Robin's the only one that can stop her when they go out on dates."

"But some of their dates were going shopping in the mall and eating at the food courts," Raven pointed out. "So it's shopping for her while going on a date for Robin. There's nothing else that she enjoys better than that, besides spending time at her home planet."

"I just want to go on a date with Robin to Sephora and then to that restaurant of delicious rolls of fish!" Starfire cried, weeping even louder. "And then I want to see the movie with him called-"

"Let me guess, 'Romantic Pursuit," Raven interrupted. She shook her head in exasperation again. "That movie is pointless, and I'm pretty sure Star means sushi when she said 'delicious rolls of fish.'"

"Yo, guys. You there?" Bumblebee's face appeared on their communicator. "Have you guys found anything?"

Cyborg shook his head. "Uh uh. The last several hours we've been trying to coax Star out of her room to no avail. She won't stop talking about Robin. He's the only thing she talks about."

Bumblebee sighed, looking as exasperated as Raven. "Well then, I probably shouldn't be telling y'all this, especially Starfire..."

"What are you exactly talking about then?" Beastboy asked, looking curious.

Bumblebee looked unsettled when she caught sight of Starfire looking terrible. "Well, I really shouldn't be telling this to her right now when she's like this."

"Why not?" Raven questioned.

Bumblebee hesitated. "It's about Aqualad, and Robin."

Their heads immediately shot up, giving Bumblebee their full and undivided attention. Starfire was now staring at her communicator unblinkingly as an owl, her stare intense and fierce.

"What about Robin?" she asked fiercely. "I order you to tell me now! This is the ruler of her planet's order!"

"But-" said Bumblebee.

"NOW!" she screeched, her eyes beginning to glow green and her teeth beginning to gnash. Her friends all yelped and jumped back, keeping a good distance away from her.

Bumblebee paused for a moment, obviously reluctant to tell them. "...Jinx told me," she finally spoke. "She said that Captain Marvel told her. Did you know that Aqualad loved a special someone more than just a friend?"

The Teen Titans froze. "Uh, say what now?" Beastboy asked faintly.

"Apparently, Aqualad had a special girl in his life," Bumblebee continued. "He told Jinx if she's drowning in hurt and betrayal from being cheated on by Kid flash, she should go to Aqualad for advice on her to recover. It sounds like his ex-girlfriend has broken his heart quite badly."

"Wow," Cyborg's mouth was open. "When Aqualad was wearing that glamour charm, he attracted a lot of gals, but I never though that _he'd_ be the one to get dumped and his heart broken. I mean, a couple of months back, almost every girl wanted to date him! What kind of girl would turn him down?"

"What about Robin?" Star demanded immediately. "What about my boyfriend that I should know?"

Bumblebee hesitated again. "Um...uh...well..." she stammered. She'd seen Starfire's temperamental tantrums, and they were _not_ pretty and were lethal to your health.

"Well?" Raven asked.

Bumblebee took a deep breath, braced herself for an attack even though Starfire couldn't get to her on the screen, and opened her mouth, but then suddenly the Titans' alarm surrounded.

"Titans! News!" Cyborg ran over to the controls. He typed in a few commands, and Superman's face appeared on the wide screen.

"Dude, Superman, you're contacting the Teen Titans?! I'm so honored!" Beastboy looked ready to faint from delight.

Raven scowled again and slapped him. "Snap out of it, Beastboy!" she snapped. "He's obviously here for something important, so shut up and let him talk."

"I do have some important news," Superman spoke up. "We've just tracked down Aqualad, Robin, and Kid flash. They're in Bialya."

"All across the continent?!" Cyborg looked stunned. "No way! The villains took them that far?! Usually our Jump villains just held us prisoner in Jump City, unless we're dueling someplace else."

"I'm coming, Robin!" Starfire cried, and in an instant her teary-eyed expression vanished, replaced by a fierce, determined look. Starbolts appeared in her hands, and she zoomed out of the Tower in almost the speed of light, blowing her teammates over.

"Whoa!" Beastboy turned into a woolly mammoth to keep his footing. "Wow, I do not want to be a bad guy standing in her way."

Bumblebee breathed a sigh of relief over the communicator. "I'll tell Jinx and Mas y Menos. Jinx'll be so happy to find out where Kid flash is. Mas y Menos will be so relieved. I bet they can run over there in a few hours. I'll let them know! Bumblebee out!" She screen turned black. On the other side, she was secretly relieved that she didn't have to tell Starfire yet about Robin's love life when she was breaking down at being separated from him at the worst possible timing.

"Robin, here I come!" Starfire yelled as she flew out of the Tower as fast as she could.

"Wait Starfire! Why don't we take the T-ship!" Cyborg yelped as he and the others sprinted after her.


	44. Chapter 44: Once Saved

Pain. That's all what Robin feels like right now. His hip, ribs, back and thighs were screaming in agony from where Ra's al Ghul has slashed and stabbed at them with his sword. He can faintly hear Wally and Kaldur give out cries of outrage and protest. A small pool of blood is slowly beginning to form underneath his stomach.

"Well?" Ra's asked, pulling his sword to rest dangerously close to Robin's cheek. Robin could feel the cold steel blade against his pale skin. "I ask again, where are the rest of the sidekicks? Or perhaps you all need more convincing."

"Don't touch him!" Wally yelled, his arm, lower thigh, and knee bleeding from where Ra's had slashed him with his sword too. "Get away from him right now!"

"Please," Kaldur groaned wearily from the effects from the hot flames. "Don't hurt him anymore. It is not necessary to that to him the most out of all of us. He is too young to suffer this much." Out of trio, Ra's had tortured Robin for information the most of all. Kaldur only had a few shallow cuts, since his Atlantean skin was more tough and dense and harder for Ra's sword to cut through, and Ra's seemed to think it wasn't necessary to hurt him, because he couldn't do anything defiant or rebellious like Robin or Kid flash, thanks to the cage made of purely fire.

Ra's blinked, his expression blank. "More convincing, then." He curved his sword down and brought it down upon Robin's left shoulder.

Robin let out a grunt of pain, his shoulders tensing up, trying not to cry out.

"No! Don't!" Wally yelled. "Please! You hurt him more, and he'll be in no shape to answer your questions!"

"His body and mind is still healthy enough for interrogation," said Ra's. "And you too. And you two have the right to remain silent when I'm only asking one of you a question." He turned and slashed at Wally's wound on his leg.

Wally let out a yelp of agony as the sword cut deeper into the wound and the blood poured out faster.

"Please! You don't have to hurt them!" pleaded Kaldur. "I am the leader of the Team, so I know the most information out of all of them! It's me who you want!"

"You also have the right to remain silent when I'm asking only one of you an easy question." Ra's stabbed his sword, now drenched in blood, which was his, Wally's, and most Robin, into Kaldur's cut on his forehead.

Kaldur let out a grunt of agony, the cut on his forehead deeper, though it was still a flesh wound.

"Do what you must," he managed to grunt out. "We will never talk."

Ra's answer was stabbing his sword into another cut on Kaldur's leg. This time, he cut deeply. First, it hit flesh, then bone. And this time, Kaldur could not hold back a scream of agony when the sword hit his bone in his leg. Blood poured out even more from his leg. His leg was bleeding profusely now, just like Robin's hip.

"KALDUR!" Robin and Wally shouted over Kaldur's yells of agony.

"Ra's, don't!" Robin yelled. "Please, you know me and Batman really well out of all of Gotham's villains besides the Joker! You know how you can make me talk!"

Ra's sighed. "Don't you all ever stop trying to defend and save each other from pain?" he said. "I tire from your petty words and pleads." He turned to Robin and stabbed his sword into Robin's already wounded hip.

Robin let out a shout of pain as the sword buried itself into his side.

"Robin! NO!" Wally bellowed, but was quickly cut off by a howl of pain as Ra's sliced his sword through his ankle, leaving behind a large, deep gash.

Robin managed to muster a whimper of pain to reply, while at this point Kaldur was only half-conscious.

"Get up. We need you fully conscious for the interrogation." Kaldur let out another yelp of pain and then slumped into full unconsciousness instead as Ra's stabbed his hand and then smacked him in the back of his head with the flat blade of his sword, pivoting so he'll get more strength on his blow so that even an Atlantean would be knocked out, unless they're as strong as the King of Atlantis.

Just then the tent's flap parted, and Ra's al Ghul's servant, Ubu, rushed in. "Master!" he cried. "Our men has seen some figures in the sky that're not birds or planes. They could be-"

He never finished his sentence. A red gloved hand punched him in the jaw quite hard, and he slumped unconscious.

"Uncle Barry!" Wally cried out in relief.

"Hiya, there, Kid!" Barry beamed, all the worry lines around his face disappearing at once as soon as he saw his nephew. "Thank goodness you're alright! Me and the rest of the family have been worried sick! We-" He broke off as soon as he saw how Robin, Wally, and Aqualad were trapped, and his eyes scanned them, taking in their condition and their wounds.

Barry's fists started trembling. "Oh, why you-"

"Let's not jump to conclusions." Ra's stood up, looking surprisingly calm, seeing as since he was in the presence of a meta-human that he couldn't lay a hit on. "It may seem like I'm doomed, but do you really think it'll be that easy to subdue me? Really, all you heroes underestimate me." The tent's flaps practically ripped open this time, and Batman rushed in. At the same time, Sportsmaster leapt out from the shadows and engaged Batman in combat.

"Robin!" Batman roared in outrage when he saw his protege and son injured, and started throwing punches harder than ever, and even Sportsmaster was forced to leap back to get out of range of the furious Batman.

"Hang on, kiddo!" Flash cried as he readied himself. "I'm coming!" He dashed over, ready to knock Ra's al Ghul over. However, Ubu was standing directly in front of him, so while Flash did manage to knock Ubu out stone cold and unconscious like Kaldur, he missed Ra's.

There was suddenly the sound of a helicopter descending, and the two heroes turned and saw several men talking in Arabian.

 _Hurry! Her Majesty wants them now, along with the rest of the sidekicks alive!_ Batman heard some of the soldiers speaking.

"NO!" He and Flash both yelled simultaneously when they saw the men dragging the Robin, Kid flash, and Aqualad toward the helicopter, several of the soldiers holding up fire torches to Kaldur to keep him subdued. He was still unconscious. Robin and Wally fought back, but they were weak, and inhibitor collars had just been slapped around their necks.

Flash zoomed over and managed to knock out the men who were taking Kaldur into the helicopter. The Atlantean teenager weakly collapsed onto the ground. Then he turned over and was about to knock out the men who're carrying Wally into the vehicle, but Ubu, now conscious again, punched the side of his face, and Barry stumbled and fell on his side.

Psimon then stepped into the ruined tent now, and held out his hand. "Be still," he chanted, his hand outstretched toward Barry. Barry froze, and while struggling to stay awake, crumpled to the ground anyway.

The helicopter, now containing Robin and Kid flash, started flying away.

"NO!" Batman bellowed again, and shoved Sportsmaster aside and threw out one of his batarangs that shot out a rope and tied him up, and pulled out his exploding batarangs, about to throw it at the helicopter, but then nearly got a sword to his face by Ra's al Ghul.

"The Light still needs the Justice League, and your sidekicks, detective," Ra's said. "Your son will be kept alive, so there is no worrying on him being killed."

"You can still torture him, just like now," Batman growled, delivering an uppercut towards Ra's chin, which he expertly dodged. But then he was abruptly picked up and thrown across the floor.

"That's enough, Ra's, and what the Light is trying to do to our kids." Superman descended from the sky, followed by Wonder Woman.

"Surrender," Diana ordered, pulling out her lasso. "Or we'll defeat you by force."

"Oh really?" they heard Sportsmaster cackle. Upon all the chaos, they hadn't realized he'd managed to free himself. He pulled out a dart and shot it at Superman.

Clark shot out his hand and caught it easily out of midair. "Really? A dart? What is that-" A sudden wooziness overcame him, along with a piercing pain his hand that caught the dart. He turned his hand over, and he saw lines of green on his palm.

"Kryptonite," Sportsmaster chuckled. "Your weakness. Need to rest?" He pulled out his exploding staff, and it exploded in Superman's face, sending him flying down a cliff.

"Superman!" Diana flew after him.

"Thanks for the workout, but gotta fly." Sportsmaster turned, and jumped into the helicopter. The helicopter rose into the sky, and started flying away.

Desperate, Bruce shot out his grapple hook, but was distracted by a bunch of soldiers yelling in Arabic while shooting at him. He was forced to fall back to avoid getting shot.

"KID! NOOOO!" Barry wailed and fell to his knees in despair.

Wonder Woman flew up from the cliff, carrying Superman. "Batman, Flash, what-" She saw Kaldur lying unconscious with Batman fending off several soldiers and Barry's voice cracking in despair. She set Clark down on the desert sand. "Watch over him," she ordered to Flash, and pursued the helicopter. Missiles came out and shot at her, but she deflected them all with her bracelets.

Then one particular missile came shooting towards her, and though she did manage to deflect it, that missile turned out to be a smoke bomb. It exploded on contact and filled with gray smoke everywhere.

Though the gas was not toxic, Diana had a hard time finding herself out of it, and when she finally did, the helicopter was gone.

"Batman to Wonder Woman. Did-"

Woman Wonder sighed over her comm link. "I'm sorry Bruce, but they managed to escape. I'm so sorry. I underestimated of who we're dealing with, since most of them don't have powers."

"Do you realize what that'd cost you?" She heard his angry voice over her comm. "For your carelessness, Superman has been injected with kryptonite into his bloodstream, and most of all Kid flash and my son has been taken. We could've gotten them back, and my _son_ , it you haven't-"

"Bruce, I said I'm sorry. Do you think I'm not aware of what we've lost and how it cost us?" Diana demanded. He fell silent.

She flew back towards the camp, and saw about ten men lying unconscious on the sand thanks to Bruce, and a sobbing Barry on his knees in the sand.

"Barry, I'm sure it'll be fine," she soothed, trying to help. "Wally's healing is enhanced and accelerated, thanks to his metabolism. And Bruce, Dick, has endured dozens of tortures over the past years of being your partner in Gotham City. I'm sure both of them will be fine. Our trackers will lead us back to them in no time soon." It also sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

When Bruce did not answer and just stormed off into his Batplane, looking quite furious and upset, and Barry did not cease sobbing, Diana tapped on her own comm link.

"Arthur, this is Diana," she said. The Atlantean had had a harder time getting to the center of Bialya, since he needed lots of water to endure the hot, dry desert heat. "We didn't manage to save Robin and Kid flash, but we did manage to save Aqualad. Unfortunately, he's hurt, and badly injured on one of his legs, and he's intensely exhausted and drained after being in close range to fire for nearly a day. He's almost going into a very deep trance right now. He needs immediate rehydration and medical attention right away."

"Poseidon's sake, Diana!" she heard him thunder over the comm. "Get him to Atlantis right away then! The more water the better! Send him to the Atlantis's hospital, I'll meet you there."

"Acknowledged, Arthur," she said, and turned off her comm link. She then picked up Kaldur and flew off. But before doing that she made Barry quit sitting in the sand and run Clark back to the zeta tube to the Watchtower for medical attention by saying that just sobbing in the sand wasn't going to help Wally and threatening to tell Iris that he just stood by and let someone die because he wasn't doing anything.


	45. Chapter 45: Good News-Wait! Bad News Too

"Star, cut it out! You're accelerating too fast! The T-ship's going crooked!" Cyborg called as the T-ship tilted to the left, with Starfire in the lead.

"I won't slow down until I find Robin!" Starfire looked fiercely determined, only going even faster. "If we slow down even a little, I will fly out of the T-ship and fly on my own!"

"We've reached out destination; Bialya," Raven called out. "Maybe the rest of you would've noticed the sandy dunes a few hours ago if you all hadn't been arguing and at each other's throats."

Starfire flew out even before the T-ship touched the ground. Nearby, she saw Red Arrow standing right next to Green Arrow and Black Canary.

"-Can't wait any longer! Look, I know Superman and Wonder Woman are some of the most powerful members of the entire Justice League, but I will go to save my younger brothers myself personally!" Roy was snapping at Ollie and Dinah.

"Chillax, will ya?" Ollie tried to calm him down. "I'm sure they've got everything under control. They've only been gone for 10 minutes."

"Where's Robin?" Starfire butted her head between the two archers and the blonde powerhouse. "Where is he?" Ollie yelped in surprise.

"When did you-Oh." Ollie turned and saw the T-ship parked nearby with the rest of the Teen Titans hopping out of the flying vehicle

"Several members of the League are already on their way finding them," Dinah explained patiently. "We're standing patrol here in case anything or anyone suspicious tries to pass through here. We're only 5 miles away from where Robin, Kid flash, and Aqualad are located."

"ROBIN!" Starfire disappeared at a speed that would've made Flash jealous.

"WAIT STAR, WAIT FOR US!" Cyborg yelped.

"Whew." Beastboy wiped sweat off his brow. "We landed here in exactly the middle of the afternoon. I'm steaming!" He immediately morphed into a camel.

"This is getting hopeless!" Roy growled. "I'm not waiting here any longer!" He turned and started storming off to where the Bialyians' sites were located.

"Roy wait! We-" Green Arrow's comm link beeped. He put a hand up by his ear. "Arrow here. Shoot."

His face expression suddenly started to change, from confusion to shock to horror. "Are you kidding me?" he protested. "Look here, Wonder Woman, how you and Superman fail? You two are like the strongest members in the League, and how did Sportsmaster manage to take down the Man of Steel-oh." His face expression then changed to a frown. "Is that Flash sobbing in the background? Guess I can't really blame him."

He then turned over to Roy. "Red Arrow!" he bellowed, who was now starting to walk up the next sandy hill. "Get over here. I've got some news for ya and the Titans."

Roy and the Teen Titans dashed over. "What is it?" Cyborg and Beastboy both said at the same time. Roy looked anxious. "Shoot away." Raven patiently waited.

Green Arrow took a deep breath. "I've got some good news and some bad news."

"Well?" asked Raven.

"The good new is that, the League managed to save Aqualad. He's got a few minor cuts and injuries, but he's got a really deep, really large cut on his right leg, and Wonder Woman is bringing him back to Atlantis to help him recover. He'll live, but it'll take quite a while for his leg to recover and for him to walk around again."

The Teen Titans breathed a sigh of relief.

"Whew, Bumblebee will be so happy to hear that!" grinned Cyborg. "Well, except the part about being injured." His grin faded a little.

Roy looked relieved. "Don't worry, Cyborg. He'll get better eventually. I've seen him go through much worse."

"And the bad news?" Raven asked.

The emerald archer hesitated. "...Aqualad was the only guy that was saved. Robin and Kid flash however, was a failure. The Light still has them, and they're injured just like Aqualad. I'm sure Kid flash will be able to survive his injuries, but Robin..." he hesitated again. "He got the brunt of the blows from Ra's al Ghul's sword. He's the most injured out of all them, and on top of all that, he's human. He has not accelerated healing and metabolism like Kid flash or tough skin like Aqualad, so that part really worries me."

Cyborg's grin had vanished completely, and all the Titans' face expressions had changed to utter horror when Ollie told them the news. Dinah looked horrified too.

"W-what?" Black Canary stammered.

"AW MAN, NOOOOOOOOO!" Beastboy wailed, hunching over in despair. Cyborg let out an angry growl and furiously punched the sand. Raven looked worried and nervous about Robin's condition.

Roy froze, and his hand tightened so hard so his bow that his knuckles whitened. His eyes narrowed, and he gritted his teeth while clenching his fist.

Raven pulled out her communicator out of her cloak. "Starfire, are you at the Biaylians' site yet?"

"Yes," she heard Starfire's voice over the communicator. "But no one looks happy. Where are our friends? And where is Robin?"

"Do you mind?" Raven turned to GA.

Ollie shook his head. "No, thank you! I've heard enough stories from Red Arrow, Robin, and the other sidekicks about her temper tantrums. You can tell her."

"Tell me what?" a puzzled Starfire asked.

"Um, well..." Beastboy chuckled nervously. "Cy, can you tell her this time?" He scooted further away from Red Arrow, who still hadn't moved. "I don't want to be the guys who delivers the bad news again. Remember last time?"

Cyborg shook his head hastily. "Nuh uh, BB, you tell her! Besides, we're not talking to her in person. How can she strangle you like the angry redhead over there?" He pointed over at Roy.

Raven rolled her eyes, and then told Starfire what Green Arrow told her.

At first, there was silence. Then-

"THOSE GLORBAGS!" Starfire practically exploded with anger, her eyes glowing green with her teeth gnashing. She hadn't looked that furious ever since Robin was forced to ask Kitten to go to prom. "WHEN THOSE ZLORTZBAGS SHOW THEIR FACE, I WILL STRIKE THEM WITH MY STARBOLTS 700 TIMES AND THEN-" She continued to yell and scream.

Cyborg and Beastboy gulped and backed away from Raven.

Green Arrow and Black Canary looked surprised at her behavior. "Does she always overreact like this?"

"Yep, especially when the subject is about her boyfriend." Cyborg edged back even further.

"Um...Ro-Red Arrow?" Ollie turned to look at Roy, who still hadn't moved. "Are you okay?"

Roy didn't respond.

"Look, we understand you're in shock." Black Canary tried to soothe him from his unnatural, rigid position. "You 'little brothers' have been kidnapped again, and-"

If words could've been seen, everything within a five-mile radius would've exploded with color and swear words. Roy was now ranting and raving and spewing a furious tirade of insults that immediately made Dinah take a mental note to wash his mouth out with soap afterwards when they get back to their base.

"THOSE SONS OF A # $%!&-" Roy was now cursing and insulting the Light so bad that the Teen Titans' felt like their ears would bleed soon.

Raven and Black Canary both shot an accusing look at Green Arrow. He retreated a few steps and held up his hands. "Did you, from all those parties you hosted-" Dinah began.

"I did not teach that language! I so did not! I would never!" Ollie protested, holding his hands up in surrender. "He must've learned those words from all the thugs in Star City that we used to shoot them in the butt."

"At least we can't understand Starfire," said Beastboy. "Her insults never make any sense, just like how you guys don't react correctly to my jokes. That doesn't make sense either. I'm hilarious!"

"Actually, we do," Raven muttered. "It's you who's going delusional if you think we'll laugh at your lameness."

"We need to tell Jinx," said Cyborg, looking unhappy. "Let's just hope for the best and hope she won't start acting like Star and Red Arrow." Both of the redheads were now furiously cussing out insults at the Light in harmony.

"You kidding?" Beastboy and the others followed the Teen Titans, with the two archers(Roy's still cursing) and Black Canary headed toward their own helicopter that where they arrived in the desert. "From how the Titans know her from experience and Kid flash's training lessons on learning how to control her anger, I think I'll just turn into a fly and zoom out the window. I'll meet you all in heaven if reddie there decides to strangle me, the messenger to death after all."


	46. Chapter 46: Breaking the News

"This is so boring," Artemis groaned as she slumped on the couch in Mount Justice.

"Well, you're not the only one bored you know," Rocket answered grumpily. "If it were up to me we'd be out of here heading to a different country for a covert mission."

"Those were good times," Zatanna said wistfully. "I miss those."

"I miss those days too," M'gann said, her face full of nostalgia as she arrived out of the kitchen with a platter of chocolate chip cookies. "We haven't done those kind of missions in months. I wish Kaldur was here, lecturing and leading us, with Robin cackling and disappearing into the shadows and 'butchering' the human language, as you guys call it, and Wally chatting away and eating up every food in sight and all of my cookies." She turned and looked sheepishly at Artemis. "No hard feelings, but to be honest, I kind of miss him and you teasing and yelling each other."

"Me too," Connor admitted, his usually stoic face deep in thought from all the happy memories in the past. "The Cave has been unusually quiet those past few days, and the Watchtower too when the three of them were back with the Titans, unless there's a League emergency."

Artemis hesitated. "Alright, you got me," she sighed. "I miss Wally most of all, no surprise there, since we're a couple, but I really miss teasing him, okay? Now there's no one to make fun of."

"I wonder if the League is searching for their partners right now," Rocket wondered aloud. "Unless they have to go out in their civilian forms."

The screen in the training room beeped, and they each turned and headed toward the next room.

"Wonder who could that be?" asked Zatanna.

"Let's find out," said Superboy.

He pressed a few buttons, and Batman's expressionless face appeared on the monitor screen.

"Batman to the Cave," he said, and the Team thought they could hear his voice waver and shake a little, which was very unlike him.

"We managed to find and trace Robin, Kid flash, and Aqualad's location. They were located in the Bialyian desert."

"Bialya? Isn't that where we went on a mission once and lost our memories in courtesy to Psimon?" M'gaan asked in surprise.

"Well then what are we waiting for? M'gann, prep the Bioship!" Connor growled and as he turned the other direction, the others following his example.

"No need," Batman continued, "For the League has already ambushed the enemies and attempted to save the Team. However..." He paused, and this alarmed the Team. Batman never hesitated, or had a shaky tone. Something must be seriously wrong. "There were a few casualties."

"C-casualties?" M'gann stammered. "W-what are you talking about?"

"Did someone get hurt?" Zatanna asked worriedly.

"Yes," said Batman. "We managed to save Aqualad. He has a few wounds, one that is deep and painful, but not life-threatening, if he receives medical treatment. He is currently being nursed back to health in Atlantis."

The Team breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank goodness!" cried Racquel. "That is such a relief!"

"When can we see him?" M'gann asked eagerly.

"That depends on Aquaman's decision, and how fast his leg can recover," said Batman.

"What about Robin and Wally?" Connor demanded. "Are they okay?"

Batman fell silent.

"Batman? Um...Bruce?" Zatanna asked tentatively. "Is something wrong?"

"Robin and Wally, where are they?" Connor asked louder in a firmer tone.

"They..." Batman's face was as stoic as ever, but his voice was definitely shaky now. The Team didn't need Superboy's super hearing now to hear the tremble in his tone. "The League only managed to rescue Aqualad. The Light managed to escape with Robin and Kid flash."

"NO!" M'gann wailed, and burst into tears.

With a bellow of anger, Connor turned and punched the wall, leaving a deep dent in the wall in the size and shape of his fist.

"Oh god, no...Wally..." Artemis whispered, and slowly fell to her knees, breaking out in sobs.

Zatanna let out a gasp of horror and held her hands up to her face, her eyes slowly welling up in tears.

Rocket didn't say anything, but her horrified and worried face expression said it all.

"How could you guys fail?!" Connor roared up to Batman on the screen. "You're the Justice League! You've handled bigger stuff than us!"

"Sportsmaster had kryptonite with him," Batman said. "He managed to inject Superman's hand with kryptonite, which of course weakened him, forcing Wonder Woman to save him, so she lost precious time trying to save them. He is currently in the Watchtower being nursed back to health. Martian Manhunter is currently trying to telepathically remove the liquid kryptonite, but it's a very tough job. It'll take Superman some time to recover."

Connor stopped punching. "Will he be okay?" he asked worriedly. "Can I see him?"

"Given time, yes," said Batman. "But you're not granted access on the Watchtower yet. However, since you all are in danger, we've granted you access now in case there's an emergency, so you should be able to see Clark."

Superboy breathed a sigh of relief as he turned and dashed toward the zeta tubes.

"May we help now?" Rocket pleaded. "The school day's over, so I don't see why not."

"Yeah, and you say no," Artemis threatened, "We'll go searching out anyway, or rather sneak out, and you know we'll be in more danger if we're by ourselves if you're not watching us."

"Did you just...threaten the most feared member of the Justice League?" Zatanna blinked in surprise.

"Girl, that was not wise." Rocket shook her head in disbelief.

"And right now, I don't care!" Artemis snapped.

Bruce hesitated. He knew Artemis was being serious about sneaking out. "...You may help," he said reluctantly.

"Yes!" Rocket whooped, punching her fist in the air.

"Finally," Zatanna sighed.

"Yay!" M'gaan squealed, jumping up and down in excitement.

"Alright!" Artemis laughed in relief.

"But," Bruce continued, "You'll have 2 League members each accompanying you, and don't even think about disobeying like last time. It cost three members of your Team their freedom and their lives."

The Team hesitated. "...We won't," Artemis sighed, looking subdued. "We learned out lesson."

"Yeah, we're really sorry for what we've done!" M'gaan said, looking apologetic.

"We won't do it again," Zatanna promised.

"Come on, what are we waiting for!" Rocket started glowing as she took flight toward the zeta tubes.

 **With the Teen Titans:**

"Where's Kid flash?" Jinx demanded as soon as she opened the door and saw Robin's team outside to tell the Titans East their news.

"Well-" Raven started.

"Just get right to the point!" she snapped.

Cyborg hesitated. Then he said, "The good news is that the League managed to save Aqualad. He's got a bunch of cuts and a really bad one on his leg. He won't be able to walk around for a while, but he'll be alright. Right now, he's being nursed back to health in Atlantis."

Bumblebee looked relieved. "That's a relief! I was so worried!"

Both Mas and Menos sighed in relief.

Cyborg frowned. "However, the bad news is..." he glance nervously at Jinx. "The League only managed to save Aqualad. The Light escaped with Robin and Kid Flash."

At first, everyone was in shocked silence.

"WHAT?!" Jinx bellowed. In her anger, she seemed three times bigger.

Beast Boy nervously back away. "Honest, the League tried their best! They said they failed because Superman got injected with kryptonite and Wonder Woman had to stop fighting to save him!"

"I AM GOING TO RIP THE LIGHT'S ARMS OFF AND STUFF THEM ALL DOWN THEIR THROATS!" Jinx roared.

Cyborg held up his hands. "Whoa, whoa, calm down!" he stammered in a Please-don't-hurt-me tone.

"Jinx, calm down, the League are tracking down Robin and Kid Flash right now," Raven said.

"Please, do not hurt us just because someone you care about was taken," Starfire said nervously. "At least Aqualad is safe."

"Your boyfriend's taken!" Jinx exclaimed furiously. "I was told how you reacted, and now you're reacting like this?!"

"I um, may have calmed her down with my powers," Raven admitted. "She didn't calm down by herself. We better leave before my calm emotions wear off and she starts screaming again and trying to blast the T-ship apart to keep tearing the desert apart to look for Robin."

"If you can't find Kid flash on my own, I will!" Jinx stormed towards the door.

"Whoa, whoa, wait Jinx!" Cyborg's eyes narrowed as he held up his hand to quiet everyone. "Why do you care so much? I mean, sure he's your closest friend, but you're going way over the top on this news! Why do you care so about him Jinx? Do you owe him? For what reason? Why are you acting like this?"


	47. Chapter 47: Aftermath

A loud buzz filled Robin's ears. He stretched out his arm to turn his alarm clock off, but instead his hand touched something softer than an alarm, and it was slowly moving up and down. The figure that he touched on his back let out a surprised grunt as he slowly came to.

"Alright Mom...stop shaking me...I'm getting up..." Wally groaned as he woke up.

"KF? Is that you?" Robin asked, as his memories from hours ago came rushing back. They've just been kidnapped by the Light, and are probably going to get experimented on any minute.

"Yeah it's me, and-" Wally's dazed face expression cleared when he saw Dick. "Oh, it's you. I must've been dreaming about my mom nagging me to wake up to get ready for the day again."

Robin snorted. "KF, you've had that dream for five nights in a row and-" His chuckles turned to pained, racking coughs as pain shot up his body.

"Rob?" Wally slowly sat up, wincing in pain from the wounds Ra's al Ghul inflicted upon him. "You okay?"

"Fine." Robin continued to cough and put a hand to his stomach. It came away sticky and coated in red.

Wally's eyes widened. "Rob, ohmigod, you're bleeding!"

"Yeah, well I'm not the only one," Robin spoke between his coughs.

"But you're bleeding more!" Wally softly patted him on the back to get his coughing under control. Robin coughed even harder for a while, then finally stopped.

"How do you feel?" Wally asked worriedly.

"Feeling asterous," Robin groaned.

Wally scoffed. "Yeah, right. You had a case of the whooping cough for a full ten minutes. You were choking and gagging. You're definitely not feeling asterous."

"Wally, wait a second..." Robin looked around and frowned.

"Robin, don't move!" Wally's hand shot out to land on Robin's shoulder.

"Calm down KF. I'm only turning my head, not my entire body and hip." He looked confused. "Where's Aqualad?"

"Kaldur? I don't know. Hopefully Ra's didn't take him to a different room. I remember how exhausted he seemed when we were trapped in the cage made out of pure fire. Maybe they put him somewhere else on the plane."

"Maybe..." Robin looked deep in though. "Or maybe..." His eyes widened. "KF, remember how your uncle and some of the League members ran into the tent and tried to save us, and crashed the Light's party?"

"Yeah. So?" Wally asked, puzzled. "The rescue mission was obviously a failure, but I just hope my folks won't kill Uncle Barry when they found out he failed."

"The League and your uncle must've managed to save Aqualad!" Robin's masked eyes and tone were filled with relief. "He must be alright!"

"Really? You sure?" Wally was doubtful, but hopeful.

"I'm certain. Why would they put Kaldur in a different room than us? He's not the only one with 's also no trace of evidence that he's been inside the ship."

"Whew, thank god he's alright." Wally breathed a sigh of relief. Soon, however, it turned to nervousness. "But what do we do now? How do we escape? I'm too low on fuel, my ankle's hurt with several other wounds, and on top of that, we're both wearing inhibitor collars. So right now, I don't' really have any superspeed. At all. And that's a huge problem. No, a humongous problem."

Robin opened his mouth to speak, but then they heard the plane's engine slowing down, and then the vehicle starting to descend.

"I think we've reached out destination, KF," Robin said in a hushed tone.

Wally fidgeted nervously. "Perfect. What are we gonna do now?"

 _ **On the Watchtower:**_

"How could you all fail?!" Roy bellowed as he stepped from the zeta tubes into the med bay where all the other League members who were in Bialya trying to rescue Robin, Kid flash, and Aqualad. "You all are like the the most powerful members of the entire Justice League! How could you all not succeed your mission?!"

Flash continued to sob from where he was sitting on the edge of the bed right next to Superman his face covered with his hands and was hunched over. Martian Manhunter's eyes were glowing, while liquid kryptonite slowly flowed out of Superman's hand, who was lying on one of the beds. Superman was currently trying to apologize to Roy for underestimating the enemy and being so careless. Connor sat right next to him, looking worried at Clark's weakened state and grimacing at Roy's loud voice, which sounded magnified thanks to his super-hearing. Wonder Woman sat on the other side of Superman's bed, trying to reason with Roy. Batman on the other hand, was busy typing in coordinates on a computer in the med bay room. If he was listening to Roy's ranting, he didn't show it, as he was engrossed into trying to track down Robin and Kid flash.

"Roy, I was trying to save Superman." Diana spoke louder to be heard over Roy's rants. "Every second counted, and by the time I managed to save him, the plane already had a head start. I also needed to get Aqualad back to Atlantis to get medical treatment, and I'm the only one that can do that, since Superman was currently unconscious, and I was the only other one able to breathe underwater without an oxygen mask. I apologize grandly for not being able to save your brothers," She did look really sorry and guilty for what happened. "And since the opponents weren't physically stronger than me, I thought I didn't need to make things messy."

"Well, look what just happened!" Roy yelled. "This is what always happen when you underestimate an enemy! And for your information, since Ra's isn't physically stronger than you, he focuses on his intellect. You have no idea how dangerous he can be when he thinks up of a plan."

"Roy, I'm really, really, sorry," Superman kept apologizing, his face looking incredibly guilty. "I didn't realize what would happen. I promise I'll keep my guard up around Artemis's father next time. It's my fault my nephew and Wally haven't been reunited with Batman and Flash. This won't happen again, Roy, I swear."

"You'd better!" Roy yelled. "Or I'll-"

"Roy, you need to calm down," said J'onn. "I'm sensing a lot of angry and guilty emotions inside of you, and to be able to get all the kryptonite out of Superman's system, I need to be able to concentrate deeply."

"Plus, my ears are starting to hurt," said Connor. "And Clark has already gotten his fair share of being yelled at from me from not being able to save Dick and Wally." He turned over to Barry. "And I don't think Flash really needs to be yelled at. He already looks sorry for what he did. He's not even speaking for a usually talkative guy."

Flash sobbed even harder.

"Well, what about you, Bruce?" Roy turned to look furiously at Batman, who ignored him and continued to type on his computer. "What's your excuse for not rescuing Dick, huh? Let me guess, you put the mission first before your son. For you, the mission always come first. That's all what matters to you. It's always about the mission, isn't it?"

Bruce didn't respond, but his eyes narrowed. However, Roy didn't see since his back was turned to him.

"Hey, are you listening?" Roy stormed up to Bruce. "I'm talking to you! Do you really care about the mission so much that you'd leave Richard for-"

Bruce abruptly turned around and punched Roy in the face. Roy stumbled back.

Wonder Woman gasped and Connor and Superman's eyes widened in shock. Flash ceased sobbing a bit, but then resumed in his misery. J'onn stopped what he was doing, looking stunned at Bruce's extreme reaction to Roy's accusation.

Batman's face looked murderous. "Don't," he growled. "Ever. Claim. That. The. Mission. Is. More. Important. Than. My. Son." The he turned and walked out of the med bay, fists clenched.

Everyone was silent for a moment.

"Well, that was unexpected," Connor finally spoke.

 _ **Aqualad's POV:**_

A soothing, relaxed feeling took over Kaldur's body. It felt quite different from the terrible, tortured heat of the fire in the cage he, Kid flash, and Robin were in.

Kaldur blearily forced opened his eyes, and the scenery was not something he expected. There were doctors and nurses swimming around, along with a few creatures.

Wait a minute. Swimming?

Kaldur looked out of a window, and instead of seeing sandy dunes against a cloudless sky, he saw a deep blue everywhere, with a few seaweed and coral plants and flowers. When he turned to look back in the building where he was, he noticed other patients lying down in comfortable-looking beds that looked quite similar to his.

Kaldur's eyes widened as he came to realization.

He was in Atlantis.

A nurse swam up to him. "Ah, good, you're awake," she sighed, looking relieved. "His Majesty will be so relieved along with your friends, Kaldur'ahm."

"Friends? Do you mean..." Kaldur started.

"I mean Tula and Garth," the nurse said. She turned and looked over her shoulder. "Oh, here comes the King now!" She turned the opposite direction and swam away.

Aquaman swam up to Aqualad's bed, looking relieved. "Hello, Kaldur'ahm," he said. "I am glad to see that you're awake and recovering."

"My King," Kaldur greeted him and gave him a salute. "How long have I been out?"

"About 6 hours," King Arthur replied. "How're you feeling?"

Kaldur turned and looked at his leg, propped up on his hospital bed and covered in a white cast. "I am feeling fine right now. Where are the others? Are they safe?"

"The Team are currently safe right now. However, there has been some...casualties." the King said.

Kaldur sat up in his hospital bed, looking alarmed. "What? What happened? Should I go and meet up with the Team?"

"No, Kaldur'ahm," Aquaman said sternly, gently pushing him back down. "You are in no condition to go to the surface world right now. You must stay in this bed and rest. You've got quite bad wound on your leg."

"I am fine," Kaldur said, gingerly rubbing his forehead, where he felt a rough bandage cover it. His shoulder, left side of the chest, and right arm was also covered in a few bandages. "Most of my wounds were just shallow cuts. But what has happened?"

Aquaman quickly explained what happen.

Aqualad lied back against his bed, looking guilty. "I was their leader, yet I cannot protect and save them, or even help them. Robin's condition is even worse than mine, and his health is more fragile than mine. He or Wally should've been rescued instead of me."

"Don't ever say that Kaldur!" Aquaman exclaimed firmly, his hand coming down to rest down on his unwounded shoulder "What matters right now is that you're safe. We'll focus on getting your friends back when you're all better. Right now, our health is my top priority. When you feel better enough to leave, I'll assign you some bodyguards."

Kaldur spun around to face his king, looking startled. "My King, you're getting me...bodyguards? Do you mean...Atlantean bodyguards?"

"Yes," Aquaman replied.

Kaldur hesitated. "But my King, does that mean..?"

"Yes, Kaldur'ahm," Arthur said again, squeezing his shoulder gently. "I'm sorry, but this is for your own safety. You're getting your own bodyguards once you leave the hospital, and then you're staying in Atlantis. I'm terribly sorry Aqualad, but this is the only way to keep you safe. You'll no longer be able to go up to the surface would without my permission."


	48. Chapter 48:Looking

**_Teen Titans POV:_**

"Jinx, why are you overreacting so much?" Cyborg demanded. "You've never acted like this when Kid flash was around trying to teach you how to become a hero!"

"Because our friends are being taken into the hands of the enemy, that's why!" Jinx snapped.

"Yeah, but that's not the only reason," Raven murmured to herself.

"You could've done something! You're the Teen Titans!" Jinx yelled.

"Jinx, we tried!" Cyborg exclaimed. "We were headed for Bialya as fast as the T-ship could go. Any faster and the ship would spontaneously combust from the heat and pressure of the engines."

"Then why couldn't Raven transport you all?!" Jinx shouted.

"Gee, have the High 5 school teach you those manners?" muttered Beastboy.

"If you all can't find Kid flash, I'm going to find him on my own!" Jinx turned and stormed off.

"Whoa, wait, girl!" Bumblebee flew after her. "You don't know where to start looking! The last time Robin and Kid flash were found, they were on the other side of the hemisphere!"

"Then I'll just take a ship," Jinx snapped as she walked out of the room.

There was an awkward pause.

"Well..." said Beastboy. "That was weird...and scary." He gulped.

"Tiene Jinx siempre actuar de esta manera?" Mas y Menos asked, looking puzzled.

"...Not really, but we don't exactly hang out with her much," Raven said.

"She has not given up on finding Kid flash!" Starfire's eyes were blazing with determination. Raven's calming spell seemed to have worn off almost completely. "So I will not give up on finding Robin! I will find him even if I must perish in agony fighting against a gloffbag!" She turned and zoomed out of the window in the speed of sound.

Cyborg stared. "I didn't know she could fly that fast. How come she never flies that fast during a fight with the bad guys?"

"Probably because she was properly motivated," Bumblebee suggested.

"To be honest, I'm not expecting Jinx and Star to find Robin and Kid flash," Beastboy spoke up. "I mean, we don't even know where to look."

"Let's try tracking them down again," Cyborg walked up to the Titans' East giant screen computer and started typing away.

"Have you gotten a lead?" Raven asked.

Cyborg shook his head. "Nope. It seems like the Light has learned their lesson when the Justice League managed to track down their proteges in Bialya. Their trackers seemed to have been taken offline again."

"Let's try tracking them down around the area where they're last located," Raven suggested. "They could've been in the neighboring countries of Bialya right now."

"C'mon, everyone, to the T-ship again!" Cyborg announced as he and the others ran to the T-ship. Bumblebee, and Mas y Menos ran other to theirs.

 _ **Young Justice POV:**_

"I've never had a League member travel in the bioship before, much less two," said Miss Martian as she and the others flew over the forest in Qurac.

"If you didn't count the time Captain Marvel went with us in Southern India," Artemis reminded.

Two League members were sitting in the bioship right this moment to keep an eye on the Team. Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) and Hawkman had been sent by Batman to make sure they won't get captured this time.

"You're all not allowed out of sight," Hawkman said firmly. "Remember last time."

The Team nodded subduedly, remembering how sneaking out of the Mountain had nearly cost three of their members their lives.

"We're here," M'gaan announced, as the bioship landed on solid ground and a hatch opened. Everyone jumped out.

"Since your leader and your substitute leader are currently unavailable, we'll take over as leader," Hal half-joked, trying to lighten the mood, but even he felt somber over the loss.

"Yeah. You seem like the perfect leader," Superboy answered sarcastically.

"Enough," Hawkman ordered. "I'll take Superboy, and Rocket and go southeast. Green Lantern, you'll take Artemis, Zatanna, and Miss Martian and go north. Those are both the most logical locations where the Light might've taken them. We're standing on the very exact location where they were last located before we lost their signal. Miss Martian, don't forget you establish your so-called mind link."

Both of the Team and the League members split up and went their separate ways.

 **"I miss Wally," Artemis said sadly as her feet trampled over some fallen leaves. "We haven't even managed to go out on a 'real date' so far. I just want to relax and try to be 'normal' for just one day. Is that too much to ask?"**

 **"I'm sure we'll find him soon, and Robin," M'gaan answered, trying to remain optimistic. "Robin was your very first friend, right?"**

 **Artemis nodded. "Yeah. He was the only other member of the Team who was human, so we understood each other. I really miss hanging out with him, and I miss Wally most of all. I miss making out with him. Do you think we'll find them here?"**

 **"We can't be exactly sure," said Zatanna. "I mean, their signal has vanished. They could be located on the other side of the continent right this minute."**

 **"But here we are, the Team, the targets of the Light, who're getting really annoying," Superboy groveled. "The Light should pay some attention to us right now. I mean, we each only have one League member with us. What could go wrong? We have our own personal bodyguards."**

 **"Speaking about the kidnapped members, I wonder how Aqualad's doing back in Atlantis," Rocket said. "We haven't heard from him for two days. What's happening back deep in the ocean? He should've contacted us by now. He's a responsible leader and usually does that."**

 **"Shhh!" Superboy suddenly ordered. He was silent for a moment. Rocket, Hawkman, do you hear something?"**

 **"No," they both said simultaneously.**

 **"Is this super hearing thing?" Rocket asked.**

 **"Is something wrong?" Zatanna asked worriedly.**

Connor was silent for about several seconds, but suddenly his eyes widened and he shouted out loud and through the mind link: "GET DOWN!"

Suddenly there was a huge explosion in front of each of the separate groups, and they all went flying back.

A huge, meaty fist punched into Superboy's back out of nowhere, and with a surprised grunt, he went flying into the smoke.

On the other side, with Green Lantern's group, several of the trees caught on fire.

"Run! Get out of here!" Green Lantern yelled, constructing a green baseball glove and lifting Artemis, Zatanna, and Miss Martian into the air.

 **"M'gaan!" Artemis cried when M'gaan groaned from the heat of the flames and slowly leaned off the side of the glove, farther and farther to the edge.**

 **"Hold on!" Green Lantern cried as he turned the glove into a long bed, preventing M'gaan from falling off.**

 **"Guys, are you all okay?" Artemis asked.**

 **"Yeah, but we don't know about Superboy. He fell into the explosion and through the thick smoke, and now we can't see him!" Rocket exclaimed. "Hawkman and I here saw a huge fist punch him, but we didn't see who it was."**

 **"Connor!" M'gaan squealed.**

 **"M'gaan, I'm sure he's alright. He's a tough kid. It'll take more than one punch to defeat him," said Hawkman reassuringly.**

 **"Connor, are you alright?" M'gaan asked.**

 **There was no answer.**

 **"Connor?" M'gaan tried again.**

 **"Superboy?" Zatanna asked.**

 **"Are you ignoring us, are you busy again?" Artemis asked.**

 **There was still no answer.**

 **"Guys, I think there's something seriously wrong," said Artemis. "Superboy's not answering. Rocket, Hawkman, where is he?"**

Rocket flew around in a circle to disperse the thick smoke. Hawkman flapped his wings.

 **"I don't see him," said Hawkman. "Something must've happened to him."**

 **"Connor!" M'gaan sounded tearful. "Oh, what if he's been taken by the Light?"**

 **"Let's not jump to conclusions," Hal said hopefully. "That kid can handle a missile from an army tank. It won't be that easy to catch him. Maybe he just got bored and jumped away."**

 **"Connor would never do that," Zatanna said. "He'd usually give us a heads up if he's splitting up."**

 **"Guys, heads up!" Artemis yelled.**

There was suddenly a roar, and Mamooth leapt out of the thick trees densely packed together, and jumped up towards Green Lantern.

 **"Mammoth! I should've known!" Artemis exclaimed.**

Startled, Hal flew higher, but not in time. Mammoth pounced and got a lucky hit on M'gaan. With a surprised cry, the Martian and the alien tumbled towards the ground.

Right into the heart of the flames where the trees were burning.


	49. Chapter 49: Two members missing

**"M'GAAAAAN!"** Artemis shrieked out loud and over the mind link.

"NO!" Zatanna shrieked . "Semalf esrepsid ta ecno!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, sounding desperate, and the flames started to grow weaker."Green Lantern, we've got to get down there right now!" she pleaded.

"Are you kidding?!" Hal exclaimed. "My orders and yours were clear-not to engage with any enemy unless you're trapped or in self-defense! As much as I'd love to give Mammoth a piece of my mind right now, I have to get you all out of here! Or else you're also toast!"

Suddenly there was a loud, pain-filled shriek of agony in their minds, and then the mind link was suddenly wrenched offline painfully.

"What was that?" they heard Hawkman order over the comm link.

"Guys, what happened to the mind link? Is M'gaan okay?!" Rocket exclaimed right after Hawkman's question.

"No!" Artemis wailed. "Mammoth leapt out of nowhere and ambushed us and M'gaan! He missed us, but tackled M'gaan and sended her and himself flying into some trees that're on fire!"

"What?! But Martians are vulnerable to fire! GL, you gotta look for her straight away, while Hawkman and I look for Supey!"

"Wait! So Connor _is_ missing after all?!" Artemis gasped.

"Yes. The smoke is clearing up, but there's no sign of him. Keep looking for the Martian and the Kryptonian!" Hawkman ordered again over the comm.

"Alright," Hal said. He then turned to Artemis and Zatanna. "I'll hide you two way up in the densest, tallest treetops, and I'll-"

"Taolf su yltneg nwod!" Zatanna commanded, and with a gasp of alarm from Artemis, both of them were picked up by a sudden force and slowly gliding down towards the ground.

"Hey!" Hal protested, flying after them. "That wasn't what I ordered you guys to do!"

"Superboy!" Rocket yelled at the top of her lungs. "Connor!"

There was no answer.

"Hey, Superboy!" Rocket yelled again. "I'm pretty sure you have super-hearing, so I'm sure that you can hear me right now! Superboy! At least respond! Superboy!"

There was still no answer.

"Superboy!" Rocket shouted. "It you're seriously ignoring me, I'll be very, very angry and annoyed! Oh, and by the way, if this doesn't catch your attention, your girlfriend has probably been captured by the way! So touched for your concern!"

"Rocket, that's enough," Hawkman said. "Superboy should've heard you easily by now, and answered. We need to look in another place."

"Do you see her?" Zatanna asked on the other side of the forest.

"No," said Artemis, sounding worried. The flames were now down to a few flickers thanks to Zatanna's spell. "M'gaan should've set up our mind link back online by now if she was still here. Those flames aren't big enough to affect her telepathy. Where could she be? Zatanna, can you set up another locator spell?"

"A-Artemis," Zatanna stammered. "Didn't you hear what I told Robin last year in November? It takes a ton of magic skills, and even though I managed to succeed, we don't exactly have a holographic globe right now, or Robin to provide us with one. I don't think I'll be able to pull it off."

"Aw, c'mon, don't be so negative!" Hal was trying his best to lighten the mood, his ring providing a bright green light like a flashlight on the forest path. "I'm sure Miss Martian should be around here somewhere. We all know what Mammoth's like. He's not exactly the most graceful type of villain, and leaves behind a ton of clues that we can follow, like may large footprints, or trampled leaves."

"M'gaan!" Zatanna called out loud.

 **"M'gaan, can you hear me? Are you there?" Artemis called in her mind.**

Neither of them received an answer, even Green Lantern, out loud or in their mind.

"I'll inform the League of their disappearance," Hawkman said, reaching toward his comm.

"Wait!" Artemis yelped. "We haven't done a complete perimeter sweep of the area where they went missing! We should keep looking! Don't tell the League yet! They'll become even more protective!"

"Sorry kiddos, but whenever we seemed to send you outside, you guys are automatically in danger." Hal reached for his comm too.

"Just give us another ten minutes, please," Zatanna pleaded. "After that, then inform the League, okay? It's a compromise. Ten minutes isn't a long time."

Hawkman and Green Lantern were silent for a bit.

"Fine," Hawkman grumbled. "Ten minutes. Then we call the League."

"I'll start the timer!" Hal created a rectangular clock above his ring that slowly started to count down, starting from 10.

 _ **Teen Titans POV:**_

"You know, I never though this sickness would've existed, but I think Starfire is suffering from 'Robin-withdrawl," Beastboy said hesitantly.

"A week ago, I wouldn't have believed you, BB. Now-" Cyborg gulped. "I cannot believe her behavior."

Starfire was currently flying even faster than the T-ship all over Jump City, making sure she asked every man, woman, and child where was Robin. She even asked a few pet animals.

"Uh, Starfire, they can't understand you," Raven spoke up.

"Hey! They so can!" Beastboy retorted. "You're the one that can't understand their language!"

Starfire indeed seemed to suffer from 'Robin-withdrawl.' She didn't seem to want to do anything except look for Robin, flying everywhere and calling his name. The formerly sweet, kind, understanding, and compassionate friend was now slightly irascible and moody, going crazy over worry of Robin. She hadn't eaten breakfast yet, or even slept.

Raven glanced at Beastboy. "You're not even going to offer her breakfast of tofu eggs and milk like your usually do?" she asked.

Cyborg gagged. "Oh please, don't remind me of that nasty bean curd stuff," he choked. "I've been trying to wash that vile taste out of my mouth all morning!"

"Dude! You're being cruel to animals by cooking, roasting, and frying them, and I'm saving them!" Beastboy retorted. "That tofu was fantastic!"

Raven cleared her throat impatiently. "Getting off topic..." she warned.

Beastboy chuckled nervously. "Oh yeah, about trying to give Star some breakfast, the encounter kind've went...well..not what I expected. Of course she refused, and I insisted that she took a break, she sorta...blasted me and the plates with her starbolts. It took me three hours to clean the kitchen and to scrape tofu and egg off the stove. Don't even ask what it was like to remove breakfast from Cyborg's bacon and his mouth, the cruel man."

"Hey! If you had any idea what tofu does to my system, perhaps you would've been a little more sympathetic!" Cyborg retorted back.

"Okay, that's enough arguing," Raven ordered. "Let's just focus our time on finding Robin for now. I wouldn't be surprised if Jinx would be acting almost the same as Starfire."

"Speaking about Jinx, she is acting weird about Kid flash's kidnapping and failed rescue attempt. It's almost like she..." Cyborg rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "The words are on the tip of my tongue...still can't get why she was so angry..."


	50. Chapter 50: Call from a Friend

Artemis's comm link beeped. "What is it? Is this Rocket, or Hawkman?"

"Aqualad to Artemis." Aqualad's calm, serious voice echoed through the earpiece. "How have-"

"Kaldur!" Artemis cried in relief. "Oh, thank god! Are you okay? Batman told us that you've been back in Atlantis recovering from your injuries."

"Uh, are you talking to Kaldur over the comm?" Zatanna asked curiously.

"Yep," Artemis answered, sounding relieved. "He sounds okay."

"Can I talk to him too?" Zatanna asked excitedly.

"Sure. Hey Kaldur, mind linking Zatanna up to our conversation. She'll like to see-or hear, how you're doing."

"Of course." Kaldur's voice was suddenly in Zatanna's ears.

"Kaldur!" Zatanna cried too. "How's life back in Atlantis treating you? How's that wound on your leg?"

"I am recovering fine. The doctors are saying that I may be able to leave the hospital in a day or two. How has the Team been? I've tried reaching Superboy, but for some reason I am unable to contact him. Is he being grumpy and quiet as usual or-"

"You tell him," Artemis hissed.

"What? No! I don't want to be the person that delivers the bad news to him," Zatanna hissed back.

"Tell me what?" Kaldur asked. "Did something happen back on the surface world? If it was something bad, I can try to sneak away to-"

"We heard that, Kaldur!" Artemis and Zatanna heard Tula's stern voice announce crossly. "You know that we can't let you out of our sight. Sorry, but you'll be in our sights 24/7, and because our King, Garth, and I care about what happens to you. Oh, and so do the guards."

Kaldur let out an audible, exasperated sigh over the comm. "I already know that, but you all already know that I can take care of myself. I've fought plenty of enemies back up on the surface world."

"Is that Tula?" Artemis asked. "Is Garth with you too?"

"Yep, I'm right here," they heard his voice over the comm link. "We're standing right next to him on both sides."

"Is that Kaldur?" they heard Racquel ask over the comm link.

"Yes, and-"

"Are you okay? How're you doing? Can I come and visit you? Are you hurt?" Rocket asked instantly, sounding worried.

"To answer your questions, I am doing okay, I am fine, and sadly, it's not possible for you to come and visit me in person, and I was formerly injured by Ra's al Ghul, but I am recovering and should be able to leave the hospital in a few days."

"What do you mean I can't visit?" Rocket asked fiercely. "What's stopping me and Artemis and Zatanna?"

"Good point there," Artemis responded. "What _is_ stopping us?"

"Not being able to breathe," Zatanna pointed out. "Kaldur's back in Atlantis, remember?

"Indeed," Kaldur answered. "That's what is stopping you from seeing me, unfortunately."

"Aw, man!" Racquel pouted. "When will you able to come back?"

"I probably won't be able to," he answered glumly.

"Excuse me?" Zatanna asked.

Kaldur sighed again sadly. "My King has forbidden me to go back up to the surface world without his permission. He says it's to keep me safe, though I feel rather confined in my own home and birthplace. I can no longer lead you on missions, or see you in person. The closest way to communicate with one another for now is to talk on the big screen in King Arthur's palace and the big screen in Mount Justice."

"What?! That's crazy!" Artemis exclaimed. "He can't do that!"

"However, he can," Kaldur said glumly. "He's the King of Atlantis, he has the power to do that. I know he's just worried for my well-being. But what I'm really ticked off about is that he's assigned me some personal bodyguards, as though I cannot take care of myself."

"That doesn't mean you need help!" the three remaining members of the Team heard Garth retort. "Me and Tula volunteered for this one because we're worried about you!"

"You two are sufficient enough to protect me, but were four extra Atlantean bodyguards that necessary?" Kaldur asked irritably. "Like I said, I can take care of myself."

"Apologies, Kaldur'ahm, but his Majesty has specifically ordered us to protect you," the Team heard an unfamiliar voice say. "With enemies such as Black Manta after you, we must guard you and make sure you stay safe with our lives."

"That is unnecessary. There is no need to sacrifice your lives for only one soldier." Kaldur said.

"Kaldur, you're worth a dozen!" Tula snapped. "Me and Garth will gladly sacrifice ourselves to save your life!"

"Indeed, my friend," Garth said. "As much as I sometimes fear Black Manta and a few other enemies, I will face some peril for your sake, for a best friend."

"Two of your friends have already been captured," they heard Tula say. "Me, Garth, Atlantis, and our King cannot bear losing you as well. We are trying to protect you, and are way more advanced in sorcery skills!"

"Actually, make that 4 of our friends captured," Artemis spoke up.

The other side of their comm fell abruptly silent.

"Can you repeat that?" Kaldur's voice was still calm, yet it sounded like he was struggling to remain calm. They could hear an edge of shock in his voice.

"Two more of our members have been captured, M'gaan and Superboy, which is why Connor hasn't been answering to your calls," Artemis repeated.

There was another moment's silence.

"Kaldur?" they heard Tula ask tentatively. "Are you alright?"

"Am I alright?" Kaldur repeated Tula's concerned questioned. "I wish I could say yes. But no, I am not all right. Two more of our friends have been captured because I wasn't there to lead them. This is all my fault."

"Quit blaming yourself!" Tula snapped, and there came a slapping sound, of a hand against skin. "You couldn't have prevented this no matter what!"

"She's right, Kaldur," Artemis said. "If you tried to intervene, you probably would've been captured too."

"You need to loosen up, Kaldur. You take too much responsibility," Garth comforted his friend.

"He's right, Aqualad. Don't blame yourself for something you can't control," Zatanna tried to reason.

"Do you think you would've been able to take Mammoth head on without a source of water nearby? He's the one that took Miss M. Even if you were here, Miss Martian and Superboy still would've been captured. So it's not your fault!" Rocket snapped.

"Alright, peeps, time's up," Green Lantern suddenly announced, as the timer counted down to zero. "Time to return to the bioship."

"That fast? But we haven't found Connor or Megan, or even any clues!" Zatanna protested.

"Great. Now start the timer to count down the time before the smothering starts," Artemis grumbled.

"Heard that, Lantern," Hawkman responded over the comm. "Rocket, we need to turn around and rendezvous with Green Lantern and the rest of the Team."

"Aw, c'mon!" Rocket protested. "Do you have any idea what Icon would do once we return? Plus we need to keep searching for our friends!"

"We gave your extra time, and time's up. We need to return now." Hawkman turned and started heading back the opposite direction. Grumbling, Racquel reluctantly followed him, knowing that going off by herself would most likely get herself captured like 4 of their friends.

"Good luck my friends," Kaldur said, overhearing what the 2 League members said. "Aqualad out." The comm link went silent.

"I so do not feel traught. Let the smothering from our mentors begin. Bet you all five dollars that Green Arrow and especially my mom wouldn't let me so much as touch a a bow and arrow once we return," Artemis muttered as they returned to the bioship, feeling a little more empty without all their comrades and leader by their sides.


	51. Chapter 51: Barely a Team

"Where do you think you're going?" Paula Crock asked her daughter Artemis, as she headed for the door.

"Just for a walk outside. I won't go on patrol unless I'm being jumped myself, or see someone, I promise," said Artemis as her hand reached for the doorknob.

Paula's hand reached out and pulled Artemis's hand away from the doorknob. "Not so fast. Right now, you're in grave danger, so please, don't go farther than a mile from the house."

Artemis groaned. "Mom, please! You already know I can take care of myself! I'm not the one sitting in the wheelchair, you know!"

"That may be true, but the Light is out hunting you and your remaining friends down. Even your superpowered teammates, Superboy and Miss Martian were taken," Paula reminded.

Artemis sighed. "Yeah, I know I don't have any superpowers, but that doesn't mean I can't take care of myself! I can take down a dozen armed bank robbers and even a Jump City villain without my bow and arrows! Don't forget, a certain _someone_ has trained me for years to become a highly skilled assassin."

Paula's eyes flashed with guilt as her daughter reminded her of her husband training Artemis and Jade to become lethal fighters, and not being there for them. "But still," she said, "I can't bear to loose you, another daughter, like Jade. The only teammates remaining on your Team are Zatanna and Rocket. You're the only original member of your team left. The rest have been kidnapped."

"Mom," Artemis reminded her mother this time. "Not all of my friends have been kidnapped. Kaldur's just back down in Atlantis recovering. He'll be all right. His underwater friends, Tula and Garth, and several guards are watching him and have his back when he's in danger. I'll be fine." Her hand reached for the door again.

Paula stopped her again. "Artemis, please," she begged. "I can't bear to loose you. I've spent countless sleepless nights worrying about you, which is why I check on you constantly during the night. Just, please, be careful, and don't stray too far from the house."

Artemis paused. "...Alright Mom," she finally said, stooping down to her eye level. "I won't walk too far from the house, I swear. No more than a mile, just like you said."

"Thank you," Paula replied in relief, her eyes beginning to grow wet as she hugged her daughter. "Don't be out for more than 10 minutes."

"Okay," Artemis said, as she grabbed her coat and headed on out.

 ** _Mount Justice:_**

"Does the Cave seem a lot bigger and emptier without Connor and Megan around?" Zatanna asked Racquel.

"Yep," Racquel answered glumly. "This place used to feel like home, but without those two aliens around, the Mountain seems unusually quiet. I'm definitely not used to not seeing Megan baking up another batch of cookies with the smell everywhere, and Superboy watching static."

Wolf whined at his master's name, and Sphere beeped wistfully.

Both of them were currently sitting on the couch in the living room right next to the kitchen, mindlessly flipping through the channels, news, and sitcoms.

"Too bad Artemis doesn't live here with us too," said Zatanna. "We could use some more company. Maybe we should call Aqualad?"

Racquel nodded, just a hint of a faint, small smile appearing. "Sure. I could use a little more teasing on the handsome leader." Both of them turned off the TV, stood up from the couch, and headed towards the training room." Wolf stood up and followed them, with Sphere close behind.

Zatanna typed in a few commands, and then Kaldur'ahm's face appeared on a holographic screen. "Greetings, my friends. Is there anything you wish to tell me?"

Racquel scoffed. "Nope. But I'll tell you what we should be doing right now. We should be prepping the bioship or riding on Sphere, looking for our friends! Not sitting on the couch being couch potatoes, bored out of our minds. There's nothing good on TV right now. I'm really missing our handsome, responsible leader right now."

An amused smile appeared on Kaldur's face. "I miss you two too. It's been nice hanging out with Tula and Garth again like when I was little, but I miss my surface friends even more. And the guards have not been letting me out of their sight."

"Are you absolutely positive you can't sneak away?" Racquel complained. "Me and Zatanna are sitting here bored out of our minds while our friends could possible be tortured by the enemy right now! We really need you now to tell us what to do."

"We heard that!" they heard Tula exclaim hotly, and she swam into view besides, Kaldur, along with Garth, both staring at the camera, although Tula seemed to be scowling at Rocket's statement of Kaldur trying to sneak away, with her hands on her hips.

Aqualad shook his head. "No can do, I've already tried. I've tried creating a distraction while I swim away towards the zeta tube, but my friends weren't as so easily fooled as the guards."

"That's because we know you really well, Kaldur," Garth said. "Do you really think you can trick us when we've known each other for our entire lives?"

"So, you're stuck back in Atlantis," Zatanna said, "And Robin, Kid flash, Miss Martian, and Superboy, have all been captured. It seems like this Team is slowly dwindling," she added glumly.

"Fear not. There are still 3 members left, and one of them is a founding member. As long as we have more than 1 member, the Team still exists," said Kaldur. "We cannot allow what we've created to fall apart when we need each other more than ever. I would have been saying this to you four(including Wolf and Sphere) and Artemis in person if my King hadn't forbidden me to go back up to the surface world, even with him. I dare not to disobey him too much, though I'll be willing to for the sake of Team and my friends. I've already tried to zeta tube back up to Mount Justice, but although the guards have been easy to evade, Tula and Garth is another story."

"That's right, and we know it," Tula said smugly. "No matter what you do we won't be fooled."

"Kaldur please," Garth scoffed. "We're not that stupid, and the guards are beginning to learn their lesson."

"I've noticed," said Kaldur, and he didn't sound exactly reassured by that.

"Come on, please let Kaldur come and visit us. It's been so boring and lonely," Zatanna pleaded.

"Apologies, but no can do," they heard a guard say in the background. "We've been ordered not to let Kaldur'ahm out of our sight by the King of Atlantis himself. We cannot allow him to visit you."

"Yeah," Garth spoke up. "I mean, there's two of you, along with your pets. You can keep each other company. That's what me and Tula did when Kaldur was back up on the surface world with you all."

"We can't risk it," Tula said. "Kaldur is our friend too, and we'll gladly protect him at any cost."

Kaldur sighed exasperatedly. "Since you two have become more than friends, you don't need much other company, but the Team needs all of us to feel complete. With a majority of the Team missing and with me back in Atlantis, we always feel like something's missing."

"C'mon, you guys, please?" Zatanna begged again. "We would really like to see if Kaldur's doing fine, and how the wound on his leg is doing."

"Yeah!" Racquel spoke up hotly. "We're just concerned for him! Can't we just see him, for just a few minutes?"

"Well, you can't change our minds," Tula answered stubbornly. "He's staying here in Atlantis whether you like it or not."

Kaldur shook his head in disbelief. "Since when have you two grown protective?"

"Ever since you were in danger," Garth piped up.

Kaldur sighed again. "I need to go. Aqualad out." The screen went black, then faded.

"...Well that was successful," Zatanna eventually said.

"Yeah," Racquel snapped sarcastically. "So successful! I feel like there is barely any 'Team' anymore! There's plenty of the Teen Titans, but there's only 8 members of the Team, and 4 of them had been abducted, with 1, especially our leader, not allowed to see us! Can you believe it?"

"We're not allowed to even search for our friends with the Teen Titans. After Connor and Megan, the League has not allowed us to go outside, except if it's an absolute emergency."

"Just our luck," Racquel grumbled. She threw her arms up in exasperation. "This is _so_ boring!"

Zatanna shrugged. "It's not really our call."

"Since when has it been our call?" Racquel snapped.

Both of their Titans's communicator suddenly beeped. After the Teen Titans formally met the Team, they've each given Titans communicators to each of the members. "Looks like we've both got incoming messages," Zatanna said as she held up her communicator. Wolf's ears perked up at the noise.

"Hopefully they've got a lead on our friends," Rocket held hers up too.

It was Bumblebee. "Hey you two," she spoke. "Where's the Martian and Superboy? We've hooked you two up, but they don't seem to be answering. Mind fetching them for us?"

Zatanna gulped nervously. Rocket fell silent.

"Um, hello?" Bumblebee asked irritably . "I was asking a question. I didn't mean for you guys to listen!"

Rocket took a deep breath. "Bumblebee, we've got some terrible news for you. Miss Martian and Superboy..." she hesitated again. "...Have been captured."

Zatanna's eyes grew watery.

Bumblebee stared. "What?! But Superboy was like, the most strongest member of your team! How have they been captured?!"

Zatanna choked back a sob, them both she and Racquel explained.

Bumblebee looked nervous and definitely **not** happy. "The Light has just taken down the powerhouses of your team. Now that means bad news. Now there's only you two and the blond archer, Artemis."

"Seems like it," Zatanna answered sadly.

"Anyway, I've got a question. I've been dying to ask you all for a long time, especially Aqualad."

Racquel and Zatanna both immediately straightened, giving Bumblebee her full, undivided attention. "What about Aqualad?" Racquel asked curiously. "We just spoke to him a couple minutes ago."

"You did?!" Bumblebee exclaimed. "Then you should be able to answer the question I'm about to ask you."

"Ask away," said Zatanna. "What do you have about Aqualad?"

Bumblebee cleared her throat. "Captain Marvel said that Aqualad loved another girl before the founding of the Teen Titans. Who is this girl? And it sounded like she broke his heart quite badly, judging what he said. Jinx said that he described like he was drowning in hurt and anguish." She stared back at the 2 girls. "So what kind of girl would make the now calm and cool-headed Aqualad so anguished?" She paused and waited for her answer to her question.


	52. Chapter 52: Bad Things Happening

**Young Justice POV:**

 _"Recognized, Martian Manhunter, B-0-7. Recognized, Superman,_ B-0-1." The computer announced the arrivals of two League members.

Zatanna and Rocket looked up from talking to Bumblebee.

"Uh, sorry, Bumblebee, we have some visitors. Maybe we can talk about your question later?" Zatanna asked.

Bumblebee sighed. "Fine. But I'm asking you again the first chance I get." The link went black.

"Greetings," J'onn said. "We asked Hawkman and Green Lantern about the mission to find your two missing teammates and for some reason they will not tell us. They told us that we wanted to know, we had to ask you. So did you find Robin and Kid Flash? And where is M'gaan and Superboy?"

Zatanna and Rocket exchanged nervous glances.

"Great, it looks as though the two League members who accompanied us on our mission were too chicken to tell them the news about Supey and Miss Martian," Rocket grumbled in a voice only Zatanna could hear. "I'm so gonna have a word with Hawkman and Lantern for leaving us out to dry."

"How are we gonna tell them the news?" she whispered back nervously.

"Um...what are you two whispering about?" Superman asked, a confused look on his face.

"Er...they're not here," she said hastily.

"They're not here? Then where are they?"

"Um...you see...well...um..." Rocket stammered.

"They've probably been taken by the Light," Zatanna finished in a voice barely above a whisper.

Both aliens froze.

"The Light has taken them?" repeated J'onn. _Please tell me I am wrong and I just did not hear correctly,_ he pleaded silently.

Both girls nodded miserably.

"Superboy disappeared and Mammoth tackled M'gaan into a wall of flames. Then they both vanished," Zatanna sniffled.

"Wait...Superboy disappeared? Did you see where?" Superman asked, looking worried about Connor.

"We don't know," Rocket said unhappily. "All we saw was that Mammoth punched him into the flames where the smoke was thickest and then that was the last we saw of him."

Martian Manhunter looked devastated and Superman looked worried.

"Hey, on the bright side, we know they're gonna keep them alive," she said, trying to be optimistic.

Superman tapped on his comm. "Superman to Watchtower. Do have any members that could help us find Superboy and Miss Martian?"

"John Stewart here," he heard the other Green Lantern say. "We've already got half of the League members searching for Robin and Kid flash. Searching for two more missing members...we've already stretched as thin as we could with others occupied with other missions, but perhaps we could spare Doctor Fate."

"If you are truly stretched as thin as you can," murmured J'onn, his usually stoic face full of worry and as though he had just aged 20 human years. "Then I'll search for my niece myself straight away. But please, John, do something to help us find M'gaan and ensure that she's safe and sound."

"You have my word. Green Lantern out." The comm went silent.

"Please, Zatanna and Raquel, where had you both last seen M'gaan?" J'onn pleaded, looking desperate to find his niece.

"In the forest in Qurac, but-"

J'onn instantly camouflaged himself, and a few seconds later, they heard the zeta tube announce his departure.

Superman's worried face expression hadn't budged or changed at all. "Guys..are you sure you don't...have any other lead on Connor?"

Looking teary-eyed, Zatanna nodded, and Racquel sniffed and said "Yes," in a shaky tone.

Clark swallowed. "I'd better go find him straight away. I owe him that much." Then he turned and flew toward the zeta tubes as well.

Both Raquel and Zatanna instantly knew what he was talking about. Right after Clark had finally accepted Connor into the family, he'd seen what kind of gifted and unique person Conner Kent truly was, and his huge mistake of not taking him in right away. He'd regretted that for the rest of life, and said not accepting Connor was the biggest mistake he'd ever made and something he can never truly forget. Clark had vowed to make it up to him, and had already taken him to see the Kents and his Smallville farm. After that, Superboy seemed to have softened up for not being accepted right away, and they'd gotten closer.

Raquel glanced over at Zatanna. "Hey, what do you think we should do about this now, with our friends disappearing and our mentors not trusting to take care of ourselves?"

Zatanna looked at the ground. "I don't know," she admitted. She wasn't a leader like Aqualad or Robin, or someone who can think up of something fun and entertaining to do, like Miss Martian. She could already see the dread in Raquel's eyes of how truly protective Icon would become after Miss Martian's and Superboy's kidnappings. All they could seem to do now was to hope for the best.

 _ **In Atlantis:**_

"Garth, Tula, everyone, that is enough," Kaldur ordered, sick of his friends and his bodyguards following him around everywhere he went. "My leg has almost healed completely and the doctor said I could take my cast off by tomorrow."

"You're not getting rid of us that easy, Kaldur," Tula crossed her arms. "You've already tried to fool us into leaving you 5 times. Like me and Garth said, we're not taking any chances."

"Please, you do not need to sacrifice all your lives for one person," he answered.

"Come on, Kaldur, what are friends for?" Garth responded. "Look, I know we haven't been fair to you, especially what happened last year, so now we're trying to make it up to you."

"By stalking me and following me wherever I go?" Kaldur asked tiredly.

Garth opened his mouth to answer, but before he could speak, Aquaman swam up to the group.

Garth, Tula, the guards, and Aqualad saluted towards respectfully.

"Greetings, Your Majesty," the guards all said simultaneously in a tone of deep respect.

"Greetings," he gave them a polite nod in return.

"Greetings, my King," Kaldur also greeted. "Why have you come here outside of the royal palace?"

Aquaman paused. "I've come to warn you all that Ocean Master has shown up and is now attacking the palace," he said.

Everyone tensed, but he held a hand up for silence. "I'll be okay, everyone. I can take on Ocean Master alone. I just came here to warn Kaldur'ahm not to engage."

Kaldur's eyes widened in surprise. "But my King-!" he protested, but Arthur raised his hand up again for silence.

"I'm not taking any chances," he said. "Ocean Master could be part of the Light, and keeping Kaldur'ahm safe is my first priority." There will a few explosions, and some guards yelling out. "I'm needed to engage Ocean Master in combat. Everyone, take Kaldur away from the fight. That's an order." Then he turned and swam away.

"My mentor...my King...I thought he trusted me..." Kaldur murmured.

"He does trust you, Kaldur'ahm. So do we all," a guard spoke up.

Kaldur shook his head. "I don't mean that. I mean you all not trusting me to take care of myself."

Suddenly Tula's eyes widened. "Garth, Kaldur, look out!" She swept out her hand, and a tentacle appeared and blocked some red missiles that were headed their way. Unfortunately, the missiles managed to hit all the guards, and they slumped unconscious.

Black Manta descended down from the waters in front of them. "Greetings, Aqualad. It has been nice meeting you. If you value your friends' life, you will come with me without a fight."


	53. Chapter 53: Kaldur's Secret

_**Kaldur's POV:**_

"Black Manta!" Kaldur grabbed his water-bearers, which instantly shifted into swords. Tula and Garth's tattoos both started glowing. The 4 guards that were formerly guarding Kaldur'ahm were now currently unconscious.

"How'd you get in here?" Kaldur demanded. "The King has guards posted everywhere!"

Black Manta scoffed. "You'd be surprised at how poorly those guards can fight. Now, as I was saying, come with me if you want to value your friend's lives." At least a dozen of Black Manta's underwater soldiers swam up and surrounded them, their guns trained on them.

"Kaldur, don't listen to him. He's just trying to bait you!" Tula hissed.

"You think I don't know that?" Kaldur whispered back. "The only thing we can do now is fight!"

The three of them instantly split up and swam in different directions. "Take out his soldiers!" Kaldur yelled at his Atlantean friends. "I'll take Black Manta!"

"Always the clear-headed and self-sacrificing leader you always were." Black Manta shot lasers out of his eyes headed directed for Kaldur's path. Kaldur performed a barrel roll and slashed at Black Manta in the face with his swords. He dodged it and kicked Kaldur in the chest. Kaldur stumbled back. "So let me rephrase about exchanging you for you friends." He held up a Titan's communicator.

Kaldur's eyes widened. "How did you-"

"Let's just say it was easy to pickpocket when you, Robin, and the speedster kid were unconscious," he interrupted.

"What are you going to do with it?" Kaldur yelled. He was expecting Black Manta to listen and pinpoint their location, and then send his henchmen or other powerful foes to go and intercept with their search like the Brain, or-

"Let's make a new deal," Black Manta said, interrupting his thoughts. His thumb stroked the button on the communicator. "You go with me, and I will tell every single member of that kiddie team of who you really are."

Kaldur froze. "You would not dare to-"

"Oh yes I would." Black Manta sounded like he was smiling sinisterly behind his helmet, satisfied that he'll get his biological kid and bloodline returned to him. "Any funny business, and I'll tell them everything I know."

"You're lying!" Kaldur, now slightly panicked, finally managed to land a hit on Black Manta. With a surprised grunt, Black Manta went rolling back several yards onto the ocean floor.

"Kaldur!" His friends swum up to him, having taken down all of Black Manta's henchmen. Garth swam up right next to him. "Where's Black Man-"

He was cut off by a pair of red lasers narrowly missing him and Tula. Startled, both of them and Kaldur stumbled back.

"I will not be defeated that easily!" Black Manta emerged from a bush of seaweed. "You will come with me, Kaldur'ahm, or suffer the consequences of losing your friends!"

"What is he talking about?" Tula asked curiously as she conjured up a glowing form of a shark and sent if charging in Black Manta's direction. Black Manta swam up and over and extinguished the magical creature with a blast of his lasers.

Kaldur angrily created a bazooka and started blasting missiles at his father. "He is trying to blackmail me into coming with him by threatening to confess my true bloodline to the Teen Titans."

"No!" Garth exclaimed as he sent a water tornado spiraling towards Black Manta. "Don't listen to him! If the Teen Titans are your true friends as you had so claimed, then they wouldn't care who your father was! There's no reason to taken prisoner!"

"Indeed," he murmured, thinking of Raven and her father issues with the demon Trigon. He knew that he had destroyed ten thousand worlds, while Black Manta had only killed dozens of Atlanteans. But still, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. He remembered how they were pressuring him and the others back at Mount Justice to spill their secrets. What if the Titans didn't trust them now because they've noticed they've kept secrets from them and starting to realize that they didn't know him and the others at all. What if they judged him to be like Black Manta, so secretive, so serious, so-

"Kaldur, look out!" he heard Tula yell. Black Manta was headed straight for him. Quick as Superboy's temper, Kaldur turned his bazooka into a pair of hammers and struck his father in the face.

Kaldur pressed his comm link. "Aqualad to anyone, we're under attack! Black Manta has ambushed us with his henchmen! More may be on the way! Please, come here as fast as possible!"

Black Manta took his distraction as an advantage and tackled him. Garth and Tula moved to intervene, but they didn't need to. A blue ray shot out and hit Black Manta on the shoulder.

"Urgh! What-" He turned and saw the guards standing up. They've all gained consciousness and aimed their rod-tipped spears at him.

"You all get out of here now!" Kaldur ordered. "Black Manta is too powerful! Go and save yourselves at once!"

"No can do, soldier. We leave no Atlantean behind. You all go and alert the king!"

"They have a point," Garth said. "They're risking their lives to protect you. Don't let their sacrifices be in vain!"

Aqualad hesitated. "Very well," he sighed, and he turned and swam away as fast as he could, with Garth and Tula trailing behind him, back to Poiseidonis.

 ** _I'll be leaving for vacation for Christmas, for about 4 nights, starting Saturday! Please bear with me if I don't start updating as much! Where we're going doesn't have a lot of Internet access. See you all later! ;)_**


	54. Chapter 54: Panic

"What are you doing?" Wally demanded as he and Robin were both picked up none-too-gently by Blockbuster. He winced as he felt his wounded ankle jolt by Blockbuster's rough steps, and beside him, Robin choked back a pained grunt, grimacing.

"Oh, you'll see very soon," Queen Bee emerged from the shadows, smiling sinisterly.

"I don't usually attend those kind of meetings very often," Lex Luthor spoke, stepping out from a helicopter, accompanied by Mercy. "But this reunion is too good to pass up."

"Reunion?" hissed Robin, feeling pain shooting up his entire body. "What are you-"

A low growl was heard, and emerging from the shadows like Queen Bee, stepped out Mammoth. He was clutching an unconscious M'gaan in his left arm and an unconscious Superboy in his right arm.

Kid flash and Robin's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates, with identical gasps of horror. "Superboy!" Robin cried out, feeling dread and horror weigh down the pain in his head.

"Miss Martian!" cried Wally, looking horrified. "What did you do to them?"

"Don't overreact," Queen Bee scoffed, waving her arm. "They're just knocked out. They'll be fine. They'll just require a few adjustments when they wake up."

"If you hurt one hair on their head-" Wally began.

"Don't you dare-" Robin started.

"Oh, calm down," Lex Luthor said, looking quite satisfied. "We'll leave them alive. They'll just need a few hours of persuasion just like how you two needed to."

"No!" Both Robin and Wally both yelled at once.

They were both silenced by a faint moan.

"Ugh...what..." M'gaan moaned.

"Urgh...my head...how..." Connor groaned.

"They're coming to!" Robin exclaimed, his voice tone excited. "Miss Martian, Superboy, can you hear me?"

"That does remind me." Luthor turned to Mercy. "Mercy, do you mind?"

With a few strides, Mercy was right next to both M'gaan and Connor. Mammoth dropped them both and stepped back. Mercy pulled out a pair of inhibitor collars and fastened them around M'gaan and Superboy's neck. M'gaan cried out and Connor roared in pain when the collars turned on and gave them an electrical shock.

"No!" Robin cried.

"Miss Martian! Superboy!" Kid flash cried.

"That'll teach them to use their telepathy and super strength, just like your fish friend," said Queen Bee.

"Don't hurt them!" Robin snapped. "I'm so whelmed right now! They're already subdued and restrained!"

"Yeah! So there's no reason to torture them!" Wally yelled.

"Oh, you two are so brave, always trying to sacrfice yourself for each other," Lex Luthor said. "I wonder how much more loyal you all can get?"

Blockbuster growled and aggressively shook Robin before putting him down, and dropping Wally. Robin let out a small grunt of pain as the motion aggravated his injuries.

"Hey!" Wally yelled. "Leave my best friend alone!"

"Wally don't," Robin managed to answer through gritted teeth. "I'm fine."

Though inside he wasn't fine. He was secretly scared inside, about to be tortured some more and then experimented on as though he was just a science experiment.

 _"Bruce,"_ he thought. _"Where are you? What's taking so long?"_

 _ **Teen Titans POV:**_

"Starfire, that is enough," Raven ordered. "You've been searching relentlessly for hours. You need to rest and eat. Looking for Robin without food and sleep isn't going to help you find him."

"But I must find him!" Starfire cried as she flew around the city, with Raven trailing behind her. "I can't possibly sleep knowing that the Light is hurting him right this minute! The crying speedster clad in red told me that they were torturing him!"

"Gee, now I see where Kid flash got such a big mouth...from his mentor," Raven muttered.

"Please, are you sure you and Cyborg have alerted every Titan in the world about Robin's abduction?" Starfire pleaded.

"Yes," Raven answered impatiently. "You've already asked me that. We've called Red Star, Argent, Jericho, Gnark, Kole, even the Doom Patrol of their disappearance. The Doom Patrol are currently on a mission right now, but they've promised to help whenever time's available. We're doing the best we can. Their disappearance is even affecting the Justice League. And you can't just think about Robin right now. Kid flash, Superboy, and Miss Martian have also been kidnapped. All you've been talking about is Robin being kidnapped, not any of his friends."

"But I am so worried!" Starfire cried. "I crave to be right next to him right now!"

"I miss him too, but you've just got to calm down," Raven said. "Panicking while searching isn't going to get you anywhere, since it can sometimes make you careless."

Starfire shook her head. "I will find Robin first, then I'll sleep!" She flew out of a sight in only a few seconds.

Raven sighed in exasperation as she tried to catch up to her.

Her Titan communicator beeped. "Yeah? What do you want?" Raven asked as she pulled the communicator from within her cloak.

Cyborg's face appeared. "Yo, Raven!" he greeted. "I know everyone is occupied searching for our missing leader and teammates, but the Jump City villains are starting to get restless! They're beginning to notice that something's amiss. We need some members to pull out from the search and take care of the villains."

"I understand, but I'm sure you know that Starfire will not be happy about this," Raven said. "For the past few weeks, her boyfriend Robin has become first priority of anyone else."

"Aw man. I hate disappointing her and," Cyborg gulped. "Getting on her bad side, but we still have to protect the city. That's why the Teen Titans existed in the first place. I'm going to send in some Titan members to withdraw from their search and take care of the villains. Cyborg out." The screen went dark.

Raven tucked the communicator under the folds of her cloak. "I can't believe I'm saying it this way, but I really hope we find Robin and the others soon. The Teen Titans aren't just the same, and it seems like we're forgetting why we exist in the first place. Starfire already is." Then she turned and levitated after the alien.

 ** _Young Justice POV:_**

A holographic screen appeared and started beeping of an upcoming message.

"Huh, wonder who could that be?" Raquel pressed the button to accept the message.

"Aqualad to anyone, we are under attack!" Kaldur's voice filled the Cave. His voice, usually sounding so calm, now almost sounded panicked. "BLack Manta has ambushed us with his henchmen! More may be on the way! Requesting backup!"

"Goodness, Kaldur, are you okay?" Zatanna cried in alarm.

"I am fine for the moment," he said. "But he may have defeated my guards by now, and I cannot reach King Orin! I-" There suddenly came static.

"Kaldur?" Raquel asked.

"Surface communication is going down!" they heard him exclaim. "Please *beep* requesting *beep* backup fast *beep* as possible!" *beep*" Then there was silence.

"Kaldur? Kaldur!" Zatanna cried. He didn't respond.

"Oh god..." Raquel gulped. She tapped her comm. "Rocket to Aquaman! Kaldur needs you right away and-" Static filled her ears. "He must be underwater right now, or else how else I cannot reach him? Oh please, let Kaldur be okay."

"I'll alert the Watchtower!" Zatanna typed in a few commands.

"This is so not happening..." Raquel muttered. "First, the Light becomes obsessed with trying to capture us, along with the Teen Titans trying to make us spill the beans that is none of their business, such as family issues, and four Team members missing, with one possibly getting recaptured again. Come on, why can't the League seem to be able to find our friends?" She couldn't stop the panicky feeling that was welling up inside of her. What if the Teen Titans find out about the League's harsh and brutal training on their proteges, the simulations they still had to do even after the failsafe, all the rules they were forced to memorize, what the Team were forced to go through to win battles, how they were holding way back when they were fighting to not hurt the Titans' feelings about not being able to fight as well along how easily they' could've taken down the Jump villains five at a time, how many times the Joker and other super-villains have tortured Robin and the others until they lost track, and most importantly, find out about their agonizing pasts?


	55. Chapter 55: The Fear Gas in the Past

"Icon here," both girls heard him say. "What is it?"

"Aqualad really needs your help!" Racquel cried before Icon barely finished his sentence. "He and his guards were attacked by Black Manta! We cannot reach him or Aquaman! He needs backup!"

"The League is already stretched thin with everyone searching for your missing Team members," Icon answered. "But I'll try to call reinforcements. I'll try to get some other emergency message to Aquaman somehow. Icon out." The comm went silent.

"Come on, Kaldur, you can make it," Zatanna prayed for their friend. "You're strong, and clever. You can pull through, I'm sure of it."

"If underwater communication hadn't been cut off right now, I would've yelled my head off at him if he didn't make it," Raquel grumbled, crossing her arms, which soon turned to worry. "He's just gotta be alright. I mean, the Justice League has trained us to be in the worse of situations, from fighting Amazo with all the powers of the Justice League, to the League themselves being controlled by the Light or some source again, or having to fight the Injustice League without our weapons."

"That does remind me of one mission that Artemis told me," Zatanna said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Remember when the entire Team first encountered Scarecrow's fear gas?"

"Uh, duh," Raquel said, shuddering. "It has been really hard to forget that story."

 _Batman had sent the Team to to one of their really rare missions to Gotham City. Usually the Dynamic Duo took care of things themselves, but the Mad Hatter had recently broken out of Arkham Asylum, along with Scarecrow and he needed some reinforcements. So he sent Robin and the Team to help him, though somewhat reluctantly. Then he went after the Mad Hatter by himself, while the Team pursued Scarecrow._

 _"He should be right here," Robin said, opening a door to an old warehouse. "Warehouse 9, by Gotham Harbor. He should be around here somewhere."_

 ** _"Miss Martian, mind link up," Aqualad had ordered at once._**

 ** _"Link established," she'd replied. "Superboy, do you see anything?"_**

 ** _Superboy leveled an intense stare at his surroundings, and they instantly knew that he was using his infrared heat vision, along with Kid flash._**

 ** _"Nothing," Kid flash said. "I'm not picking up any heat signatures."_**

 ** _"Same here," Superboy agreed. Just then his eyes narrowed. "Wait..."_**

 ** _"What is it?" Artemis asked. "Do you see Scarecrow?"_**

 ** _"I'm not sure...but I definitely see something up there." Superboy pointed at the balcony above them._**

 ** _"Wait, I'm getting something up there too!" Kid flash gave them a grin. "Am I good at pointing out our surroundings or what?" The Team just playfully rolled their eyes, while Artemis let out a disbelieving scoff._**

 ** _"Team, move quietly. We do not want to alert him that we're here." Aqualad pulled out his water bearers. "Robin, does he have any-Robin?"_**

 **** _There was an echo of his cackle, and suddenly Robin swooped on the floor above them on his grapple hook and kicked the hiding figure onto the first floor. With a grunt, the figure landed in a tangled heap in front of the Team._

 _"Scarecrow!" Aqualad exclaimed._

 _"Urgh...how did you..." Scarecrow groaned, his hands rubbing the part on his chest where Robin had kicked him._

 _"I may only have about half of Superman's powers," Superboy stepped up. "But I still do have his super senses. No matter how quiet or how much you blend into the background, I can hear your heartbeat and breathing, along with your heat signatures, whether you're hiding behind something or not."_

 _"You might as well give up." Artemis held up her bow. "You're completely outnumbered, and I don't see any of your henchmen here to protect you. You're trapped."_

 _"Am I?" Scarecrow hissed, as he pulled a button from his pocket._

 _"What is th-" Aqualad started, right before Scarecrow pressed the it. Instantly, all the barrels and crates in the warehouse exploded, each filled with gas._

 _"Agh-*cough*-what" KF coughed._

 _"Scarecrow's fear gas!" Robin yelled. "Whatever you do, don't breathe it in!" But it was too late._

 _Superboy had started screaming, and throwing wildly uncoordinated punches at imaginary monsters and enemies everywhere all around him, attacking and smashing everything that he could get his hands on. Miss Martian started sobbing, curled up in a ball in midair, and every once in a while, she'd scream and all the objects in the warehouse would go shooting towards the ceiling at once. Aqualad was kneeling on the ground, his eyes dazed and yet like a wild, insane beast, muttering in his native Atlantean tongue. Kid flash was yelling in his fear-induced state, and he was sprawled on the floor, vibrating so fast and hard that his body was practically a blur, everything that was touching him, including the floor, started to smoke and burn and wear away from the friction. Artemis was also shrieking at the top of her lungs, her fingernails curved into claws as she wildly tried to ward and fight off an imaginary threat that no one else could see, hear, or feel. But not finding anything solid to claw on, she began to claw at her own skin._

 _"Now that's more like it!" Scarecrow cackled. "Tell Batman that he shouldn't send children to do his dirty work! It might give them nightmares!" But then his eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute. Where's that wretched Boy Wonder?"_

 _"Right here!" he heard Robin cackled back, a way less creepier, crueler, and sinister version of Scarecrow's cackle. A birdarang came flying out of the thick smog of the fear gas and burst into a grapple of ropes, instantly tying up the villain._

 _"What-" the villain started, and Robin leapt out from the shadows, and planted an uppercut on his chin. Scarecrow's eyes rolled back into his hand, and he fell unconscious on the floor right next to Robin's feet._

 _"Okay, you guys!" Robin yelled at his team. "Scarecrow's down! There's no need to act whelmed anymore!"_

 _The Team immediately stopped going insane, and stood up on their feet, looking perfectly calm. All the objects that Miss Martian had been levitating crashed back down to earth._

 _"So how was our acting skills?" Wally asked excitedly. "Maybe we should quit the hero gig and try Hollywood! We could meet some really hot babes over there!"_

 _"Oh, grow up," Artemis scowled, elbowing him, earning a pained grunt in response._

 _"Are you okay?" M'gaan asked her. "I mean, I did see you clawing at yourself, and-"_

 _"I'm fine. Totally fine." Artemis assured, showing her friends her arms, shoulders, and parts of her face she'd been scratching on. "Fortunately, I managed to make the clawing-at-myself act look realistic. I can't believe we actually manage to fool Scarecrow with our acting."_

 _"Yeah," Superboy said. "I guess our mentors training us to face against Scarecrow's fear gas paid off eventually."_

 _"Well, I'm just glad that's over," Robin said. "They exposed us to that stuff so many times that even I've lost count. They've probably made us go through at least dozens of scenarios when someone has fear gas as a weapon. Compared to the first time I've been exposed to the gas to now, the first time was like being in Candyland in heaven."_

 _Their comm suddenly beeped. "Aqualad here," Kaldur answered, putting a finger by his ear._

 _"Batman calling Team," they heard his deep voice say. "The Mad Hatter and his insane Wonderland territory threat has been neutralized. What about Scarecrow?"_

 _"He has been taken down and apprehended. We're ready to drop him off at Arkham Asylum."_

 _"Good," he said. "We'll rendezvous at Commissioner Gordon's police station. Batman out." The comm fell silent._

 _A faint whimper of pain came from Scarecrow as he slowly started to gain consciousness. "But how...how did my gas did not..." he groaned._

 _"Please," Superboy scoffed. "Our mentors made us get over our fears and how to survive in situations with fear gas like yours for months. This Team has also been through worse than just having me see hallucinations of myself taking down my friends and going over to Lex Luthor's side. Your fear gas to us now, is merely like a bad dream to us all."_

 _"Yep!" Kid flash said cheerfully. "You're going to have invent something better then fear gas next time." A dark shadow suddenly loomed out of the darkness, and he stifled a scream. Not real, not real, he chanted to himself._

 _"Come on," said Kaldur. "Let's send this villain back to where he came from."_

 _Superboy hoisted Scarecrow over his back and the Team headed over to the bioship._

 _"Hey, Supey, you almost forget!" KF reminded him._

 _"What? Oh, right." Superboy punched Scarecrow, and the villain was knocked out once more, and then blindfolded as they entered the bioship._

 _Robin choked back a yelp of terror. "Concentrate, Robin," he muttered to himself. "You can pull through this. Batman's trained you how to."_

 _Ten minutes later, the bioship reached their destination._

 _"We've reached the commissioner's station," Miss Martian announced as she opened the hatch, and then let out a scream of terror. She then took a deep breath and tried to calm down._

 _"M'gaan, are you okay?" Connor asked worriedly. Sitting in the bioship while listening to his friends' heartbeats beating much faster than average had unsettled him, while also still under the influence of Scarecrow's fear gas. He bit back a gasp of fright while seeing and hearing his hallucinations, and being able to feel them._

 _"Just like a certain little brother said," M'gaan nodded in Robin's direction and smiled affectionately, which Robin returned. "I can pull through this."_

 _Batman approached them as soon as they all stepped out of the bioship. "How'd the mission go?"_

 _"It was a success. Despite being under the influence of the fear gas, we've all managed to pull through just like how you taught us." Kaldur handed the still unconscious Scarecrow to two policemen standing nearby, who shoved him into the backseat of their car, handcuffed him, and drove away._

 _Robin ran to Batman and threw his arms around him. "Bruce," he murmured into his adoptive father's chest, letting the his warmth and woody scent wash all over him, despite his Team being there._

 _Batman knelt down to his level and tugged him closer to his chest. "It's good to see you, putin pasare (Little bird)" he muttered, resting his chin atop the messy raven hair._

 _They stayed like that for a several seconds, until Batman's eyes narrowed, noticing how fast Robin was breathing, and it wasn't because he was tired from a long run._

 _"Robin.." he warned._

 _Robin looked confused. "What?"_

 _"Robin!" he growled, as he pulled out the antidote from his belt and plunged it into his arm. "You were supposed to take the antidote yourself! Didn't you bring it along with you?"_

 _Robin searched his belt. "Oh, wait, I do have the antidote," he said, looking sheepish, and feeling a lot calmer as his head cleared and the terrible hallucinations vanished._

 _"Wait, we all have them," he and Bruce heard Wally say as the Team searched their pockets. Kid flash also looked sheepish. "Whoops."_

 _"Why didn't any of you take the antidote when you took down Scarecrow?" Batman asked angrily. "The League and I have trained you to be calm and collected whenever you breathed in Scarecrow's fear gas when you were fighting him, not when you all were heading back towards the police station! Do you have any idea how dangerous it was to fly the bioship when you all were experiencing hallucinations?"_

 _"...We, um, forgot to take them?" Wally asked._

 _"We didn't get hurt when we were flying the bioship! Honest!" M'gaan exclaimed. "You and the League have trained us so well in this situation that we can go for an entire day under the fear gas influence without freaking out or getting scared, even seeing those horrible hallucinations!"_

 _"And just so you know," Connor grunted. "The effects of Scarecrow's gas gets worse the longer it's on someone without getting the antidote, or experiencing it again each time."_

 _"Robin, how many times have you been exposed to that stuff?" Kaldur asked._

 _"Come to think about it, I don't know." Robin tapped his chin in deep thought. "I've been exposed to the gas so many times that I've just simply lost count."_

 _"And does the hallucinations get worse every time you breathe in the fear gas over the years?" Artemis asked. "I've noticed that the effects get stronger and worse, not better."_

 _"Yep," Robin nodded. "But it doesn't bother me anymore."_

"Ugh," Raquel said, shuddering again. "I can still remember Artemis telling us that story like it was yesterday."

"Me too," said Zatanna. "It's a good thing that our mentors trained us to stay calm through Scarecrow's fear gas too, just like them. The first time I breathed it in, it was absolutely terrifying. Ugh!" She shivered. "The Leaguers have been training me in situations like that for six months, and I still have nightmares about the first encounter."

"Which is exactly why the Team has not been telling the Teen Titans anything about their past missions," Raquel pointed out. "If they found out, they'll probably try to stop the League members from training us, from being under to the influence of fear gas, to simulations like back in early October, when the Justice League dies and we're the only ones left. And if the Doom Patrol finds out, oh my god, we've already seen how reluctant they were to let the Teen Titans fight against the Brain, and some of our members are younger than them. They'll probably try to remove us from the League's care, because apparently," she rolled her eyes, "We're 'too young' to handle anything big, and too inexperienced. Just so they know, the Team has existed way before Beastboy had joined the Team, and have been through worse than them. Maybe WE could them the Doom Patrol a thing or two, along with the Teen Titans, not the other way around like they always though of kid heroes."

"True," Zatanna sighed. "While sifting through the Teen Titans's memory, they treated the Titans no more than sidekicks, similar to how the League treated their partners back during the Fourth of July."

"Hang on!" Raquel suddenly exclaimed as her comm beeped. "I think this one is coming from Kaldur!"

"Really?" Zatanna was closer by Raquel's side in an instant. "How did he manage to reach to us? I thought underwater communication was down!"

"I don't know, but either way, I am so glad!" Raquel accepted the call quickly. "Kaldur what is it?"

"Rocket, it's Black Manta-he has-" There came a surprised gasp, and then the gasp became choked, which sounded like he was being strangled, and then the comm went completely silent once more.


	56. Chapter 56: Disapearance

Aqualad desperately typed into his comm, trying to reach to someone, anyone, as he dodged a laser from Black Manta. Garth and Tula surrounded him at both sides, trying to fight off his biological father, but all they could seem to do was defend, and he intercepted all their attacks.

"I've got a signal!" Kaldur exclaimed in huge relief as his comm beeped, back with signal.

"That's...good...to hear," Tula grunted, conjuring a shark and sending it to tackle Black Manta, who destroyed her magic with another blast with his lasers. "Call for help _now_."

"Aqualad to anyone!" Kaldur called into his comm.

"Kaldur!" He heard Raquel and Zatanna exclaim in relief.

"Kaldur what is it?" Raquel asked quickly.

"Rocket, it's Black Manta, he has-" Kaldur started, but was cut off when a cold, metal hand closed around his throat. Kaldur choked, unable to breathe.

"Not so fast," Black Manta replied sinisterly from his son's choking. "We can't have any guests spoil our family reunion."

"Kaldur!" Garth blasted a wind funnel in Black Manta's direction.

Black Manta executed a barrel roll, still clutching onto Kaldur's throat. Kaldur gasped and choked, trying to pry his father's hands off his throat.

"Get your filthy hands off of him!" Tula sent stingray in his direction.

"Get-off-me," Kaldur gasped, as his father began to strangle him and dodged Tula's stingray. Kaldur pulled out one of his waterbearers, shifted them into the shape of a sword, and bashed the flat end of it against the side of Black Manta's head. Black Manta's strangling grip around his throat loosened, and the distraction was enough time for Garth and Tula to conjure up some ropes and chains and wrap them around Black Manta. Kaldur then spun around and contributed to Garth and Tula's work of trapping Black Manta by transforming his sword into a pair of whips, tying them around the villain and electrifying him.

Yelling with pain and anger, the underwater villain broke free of the trio's enchantment. "If I can't persuade my son to come to my side, then I'll use force!" A missile launcher appeared on his right shoulder, and he shot at Kaldur's friends.

"Whoa!" Tula just barely managed to dodge his missile in time. Kaldur extended his whip and smacked the missile away from Garth, which exploded on contact.

"We need to retreat!" Kaldur yelled as he held off his angry father.

"You think I need to be told?" Garth yelled.

"Come, let's get out of here!" Tula grabbed Garth's hand and swam off toward Poseidonis, with Kaldur close behind.

"Not so fast!" Black Manta shot even more missiles at them in hot pursuit. "I will have my birthright and my son returned to me whether you like it or not!" The trio managed to dodge most of the missiles, but Tula wasn't so lucky. One missile managed to hit her right on the small of her back. With a pained yelp, she slumped unconscious.

"Tula!" Garth and Kaldur both cried simultaneously as Garth caught her in his arms. "C'mon, Tula, wake up," he pleaded, gently cradling her in his arms. But her eyes remained closed.

The normally cool-headed Atlantean finally snapped. He was the most calmest, composed, and collected on the Team. He was usually the one to calm down angry teammates and loud arguments. But no one, and he means _no one_ hurts one of his friends and gets away with it. With a furious grunt, Kaldur raised his hands, the tattoos on his arms glowing, and the current and pressure of the ocean water started to come together, forming a giant glowing blue sea serpent, as huge as an actual sea serpent. Snarling, it tackled Black Manta, and shoved him into an outcrop of a sharp rock jutting out from a group of pale orange and light lavender coral.

"Move!" Kaldur yelled. "Get Tula to safety! I'll be right behind you!"

Garth looked a little unsure (It was his job to protect his friend in the first place after all!) but after a moment's hesitation he gave a brief nod and swam away with Tula in his arms.

"Come on Tula..." prayed Garth. "You're going to be okay." Behind him he heard Kaldur grunt, the roar of the serpent, and a roar of fury from Black Manta. A few moments later, Kaldur caught up and swam up besides him. "The serpent will keep him busy for some time. I am most grateful to the King for making me train so hard and so long to make to excel at combat sorcery. I am currently almost at your level now."

"Are you sure the King training you so harshly is a good idea though?" Garth asked, his voice filled with doubt. "I mean, Kaldur, you're almost as good as me and Tula now and he's only been training you for several months! For us it took several years! I know the king is usually very kind to his people, but I personally think he has been too cruel with you when it comes to your surface training, and I know for a fact that Tula will agree. You told me you've almost fainted from exhaustion twice because he forced you to stretch your abilities beyond your boundaries and limits! This is too much for you! Our teachers has never even made us feel tired, even the strictest! The King it too hard and brutal on you when it comes to your training!"

"He is doing it for my own good!" Kaldur defended his king. "He is so harsh on me on training because the surface villains are very powerful and ruthless. If he hadn't been so strict with me I would've been killed a long time ago. Making my combat sorcery stronger each day helps me stay alive."

"Stay alive? He's almost killing you!" Garth protested. "I do not mean to offend our beloved king, but making you improve every few days is too much!It takes me and Tula at least a week to master a new technique!"

"That is enough," Kaldur ordered. "I will not have you insulting our King. Like I already said, his harsh training is for my own good."

Garth gave a frustrated huff and swam in silence.

As he approached the city, Garth noticed the royal palace looked damaged and slumped to the side, probably from Aquaman's and Ocean Master's battle. When he entered, there was suddenly a grunt of pain, and Ocean Master went flying past him and crashing into a mosaic column, slumping unconscious.

Aquaman swam up, looking quite a bit bruised and battered from the fight. "Chain him," he ordered the guards, who approached the unconscious villain and slapped a pair of handcuffs around him.

"I have finally captured you, Ocean Master," Aquaman announced. "It was a mistake to confront me out in the open. It is very unlike you to do that and very unclever."

A low, audible chuckle was heard as Ocean Master gained consciousness. "I may have been captured, but my true purpose today was not to kill you, though I would've liked to do that quite gladly. I may have been captured, but the mission has been a success."

"What are you talking about?" Aquaman snapped. "You've been captured and sent to Belle Reeve on the surface world. What is your mission?"

"Kaldur, do you know what he's talking about?" Garth asked. There was no answer. "Kaldur?"

He turned around. There was no one there. Fear shot up his veins. "Kaldur, where are you?"

Garth's feet brushed against something hard. He looked down. Lying beside him was Kaldur's waterbearers. "Kaldur?" he asked weakly, fearing for the worst.

King Orin's raised an eyebrow when he saw Garth huddling in a corner clutching Tula in his arms, along with Kaldur's weapons, but no sign of Aqualad himself. "Garth, where is Kaldur'ahm?"

"I...I don't know," Garth stammered. "H-he was right next to me a minute ago."

Aquaman turned and grabbed Ocean Master by the scruff of his uniform quite forcefully. "Where. Is. Kaldur." he managed to ground out between gritted teeth.

Ocean Master smirked. "Let's just say Black Manta has his rightful son returned to him."

Aquaman lost his temper and punched Ocean Master, instantly knocking him out again. "If you hurt him...I will make sure that you will stay on the surface world," he growled.

"I-I don't understand," Garth stammered again. "How can Black Manta capture him so quickly without me noticing? I only looked away for a couple of minutes. Kaldur isn't so quiet when someone's trying to kidnap him."

"My love, let's not jump to conclusions." Queen Mera swam up and snaked her arm around Arthur's shoulders. "Garth does have a point. Kaldur would've as least alerted us if he was ambushed by Black Manta. And the villain is not the most quietest when it comes to a kidnapping."

Her husband took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "You are right, Mera. Kaldur wouldn't have stayed silent if he was ambushed. Guards," he ordered, turning to five male Atlanteans hauling Ocean Master away. "Three of you go spread the word to the rest of the guards to look for Kaldur'ahm right away. Organize a search party."

"Yes your Majesty." They saluted and and several of the men swam away.

Aquaman's face barely betrayed anything, but Mera and even Garth knew better; he was extremely worried for the dark-skinned Atlantean teenager that was like a son to him for years. His unexplained absence was already starting to eat away at him, his blue eyes filled with fear for Kaldur.

 _ **Mount Justice:**_

"Kaldur? Hello? Kaldur?" Raquel tapped her comm for the tenth time. Nothing but static.

"Argh!" Raquel threw her comm across the room in frustration. "We have to help him!"

"But how? We can't breathe underwater." Zatanna pointed out. "Even my magic isn't that advanced enough."

"Well we gotta try something!" As soon as she finished her sentence, the zeta tube lit up.

 _Recognized, Artemis, B-0-7._

"Artemis!" Zatanna ran over to her friend.

"Hey, girl," Artemis laughed as she gave her a hug. "How's everything going?"

"Not so good, actually," Raquel grumbled. "Kaldur's been attacked in Atlantis right this minute, and there's nothing we can do about it! Some friends we are, not being able to help."

Artemis's smile vanished. "Wait, what?"

Zatanna quickly explained the conversation between her, Raquel, and Aqualad in Atlantis.

Artemis's face paled. "No...oh god no..."

She sunk to her knees, her shoulders trembling.

"Please, oh please," she sobbed. "It can't just end like this. We worked so hard to create the Team, and now our hard work's coming apart. And now our leader is possibly badly injured right now, and we can't do anything about it."

Zatanna stooped beside her, a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure Kaldur will be fine," she reassured. "He's a very strong fighter. He won't go down easy."

"Right, of course." Artemis stood up, choking back her anguish.

"I hate to do this, since we'll get treated even more like babies, but we better inform the Justice League about Kaldur's situation." Raquel reached for the keyboard to get in touch with them.


	57. Chapter 57: What's Happening?

Kaldur swam through the water right next to Garth. The closer they got to the palace, the more wreckage there were. Guards were helping the citizens trapped under all the fallen buildings and pillars. Garth was clutching Tula in his arms, looking quite worried and nervous.

 _"One day, my friend, you'll understand why my King pushes me so hard to do my best."_ Kaldur thought.

Just then, a pair of red lasers struck a coral reef right next to him. Kaldur grunted in surprise as he spun around. Behind him and Garth was Black Manta, about ten yards away, who seemed to have recovered the attack and was now pursuing both of them.

Kaldur glanced at Garth, who seemed to be too deep in thought to notice Black Manta, who was approaching them stealthily this time, minus the lasers.

Kaldur let out a small grunt of frustration. _"This is all my fault. I knew I should've made the sea serpent last longer, but I underestimated my father. I need to clean my own mess up."_

He gave one last look to his best friend in Atlantis, Garth, and his former lover, Tula. _"Forgive me, my friends, and my King,"_ he thought as he turned a sharp right as quietly as he could, so Garth wouldn't notice. _"But I need to take care of Black Manta all by myself. This is my fight."_

Kaldur swum out to the city's limits as fast as he could, silently praying that Black Manta wouldn't alert anyone of his he did, the guards would come and defend him against Black Manta under Aquaman's orders, and they needed to get all the civilians to safety first. Miraculously, he didn't, other than the noisy lasers striking at the buildings next to him.

"Ignorant boy!" Black Manta finally yelled when they were a good distance away from everyone. "Can you not see the promise of tremendous power when you come to my side. What could be better than that, with your father? I am responsible for birthing you into this world!"

"I do not care about power," Kaldur answered as he swum. "I care about my friends, and my King. My father is Calvin Durham, not you. You may have been my biological father, but he has raised me ever since I was a young Atlantean. That's what makes him a true father."

"If it weren't for me, you ungrateful child, you wouldn't even be here! You owe me, my son!" Black Manta continued to shoot lasers at him, while gaining. Kaldur pulled out his water bearers, shaped them into a bazooka, and shot back. Black Manta easily dodged the missiles.

Kaldur was now almost at the city's limits, almost out of Poseidonis. The streets were barren now, with all the Atlanteans fleeing from the attacks on their kingdom.

 _"Almost there,"_ Kaldur thought, pouring on a burst of speed. _"Need to get to the city's limits, so no one else will get hurt."_

"Not so fast!" One of Black Manta's lasers struck his right shoulder. With a yelp of pain, Kaldur went sprawling. When his vision cleared, he saw his father looming over him, about to punch him. He barely had enough time to form a shield and protect himself from his blow. Kaldur winced as his father continued punching. Kaldur was stronger than an average human, but his father was even stronger than him, and soon his shoulders began to ache, especially the one that had been blasted.

The Atlantean readied himself and kicked his father off him as hard as he could. Black Manta was shoved backwards with a grunt, and resumed shooting at him. Aqualad performed a backflip and continued to swim to the city's limits.

"Almost...there..." Kaldur grunted to himself. Suddenly pain burst in his ribs as Black Manta pounced on his back, his feet landing hard against his shoulder blades. His head smashed into the ground. Kaldur laid there, groaning in pain.

"Foolish boy. There's no way you can escape your destiny."

"No!" Kaldur shaped his bazooka into a mace and slammed the weapon into his father's ankle. Black Manta grunted in pain, and the painful pressure on his back decreased.

"You stupid little boy!" Black Manta snapped. "Can't you see that I'm offering you an opportunity to be powerful, and that your true destiny is inevitable? You will join me, my son!"

"Like I said, Father, I do not to wish to be powerful as you or my King, and that my true destiny is to defend Atlantis and help my King along with my Team and friends." Kaldur swung his mace at his side.

"You waste your powers and talent, my son." Black Manta deflected the blow and punched Kaldur in the chest, sending his reeling back. "I saw the new team you and three of your friends had recently formed, and I cannot believe how much you hide your abilities. It's absolutely preposterous that your waste your time and powers against villains that're no stronger than normal humans. Forming that new team and fighting their villains was such a waste of your abilities and time."

"Do not speak of my friends that way!" Kaldur swung at his head.

"Friends?" Black Manta sneered, blocking Kaldur's attack. "They barely even know who you truly are, and your history. That underwater villain Triton, whom they had such a hard time defeating, you could've taken down an entire team of him in under a minute. So much power compared to your new team, and you dare not to show it."

"It's for the villain's own safety, in case I may ever go too far." Kaldur bashed the mace against his father's back, and he went flying sideways with a surprised grunt. "And I had forgotten to inform you, I still am holding back while fighting you."

"What?" Black Manta growled.

Aqualad sighed regretfully. "I had hoped that you would come to your senses and join the good side against evil, Father. It turns out that I'm mistaken. I'm afraid I have no choice but to take your down." His mace instantly transformed into a pair of duel swords, as he began to slash at his father with unbelievable speed.

Startled for the first time in a long time, Black Manta got taken by surprise, and Kaldur struck him in the temple, side of the head, and skull. "What-how-" he started to say.

"My King trained me well," Kaldur said, stabbing at his father's legs. "Garth thought that he was being too harsh with me, but I know for a fact that he wants what's best for me and teaching me how to defend myself in dire situations. His training has paid off." Black Manta let out a stunned yell of pain as Kaldur stabbed his sword into his knee.

Furious now, Black Manta blasted at Kaldur with his lasers again, whom he barely dodged.

"Forgive me for this, Father." Kaldur's swords turned into a pair of clubs, and he struck his father in the temple, and instantly knocked him out. "Thank you, my King, for teaching me to defend myself against powerful villains."

He then swum over to his unconscious father, and then he noticed a strange device on his belt. Kaldur frowned and curiously reached out for it.

It looked like detonator, and before Kaldur could let it go, his finger touched a button on the device.

The dark-skinned Atlantean instantly tensed, expecting a building somewhere to blow up. He was not expecting for it to emit tear gas. Kaldur choked, his eyes watering. His vision darkened, and his last thought before blacking out was hoping that his King would be alright and wouldn't be angry at him.

 ** _Someplace Unknown:_**

"What are you going to do to us?" Wally demanded as the villains tied them all up, with Superboy in chains. He and Miss Martian had still not awoken, which meant they must've gotten knocked out really hard. A dark bruise was beginning to form at Miss Martian's temple. He was beginning to get worried about Robin, though. He hadn't said anything about the pain, but a pool of blood was beginning to grow, and it was growing larger, and he was starting to look dizzy and pale.

Lex Luthor smiled, a syringe held in his hand, filled to the brim with a clear liquid, the long, sharp needle glinting against his sinister face. "Oh, you'll see. And I warn you, you might not want to sleep along tonight." He stooped down next to Robin.

"Urgh...my...ow...what...are..my...doing to me?" Robin groaned, his head swaying, looking like he was about to pass out from the blood loss and deep pain any second, his hand clutched at the deep wound on his hip.

Just as he collapsed, and his head hit the ground, Luthor injected the mysterious serum into Robin's arm and into his bloodstream.

"Hey!" Wally yelled, terrified for his best friend. "What do you think you're doing?"

"You'll find out soon enough. There is no need for me to tell you." Luthor stood up and took a few steps back from the Boy Wonder.

Wally painfully scooted over to Robin, wincing and grunting at the pain on his body from the bleeding wounds Ra's al Ghul had inflicted upon him. Every movement was pure agony. But if Robin could move to check and comfort him when he was wounded while tolerating the extreme agony, so could Wally.

Wally slowly dragged over to his side and put a hand on his shoulder. "Dude, wake up. Are you okay?"

Robin didn't stir.

Worriness and concern shot through Wally. "Rob? You okay? C'mon, please answer me."

Robin still didn't respond.

Now Wally was really panicking. He put Robin on his side and shook him. "C'mon Rob! Wake up and answer me! C'mon!" he begged desperately. "Don't leave me, or else I'll have no one else to talk to!" He knew he was hurting Robis wounds when he was shaking him, with the jarring movements, but he hoped that the pain would wake him up. When there was no response, he furiously turned to Luthor. "What did you do!" he shouted.

Luthor smiled maliciously. "Don't worry, he'll be fine. It actually depends how good he handles it."

"If you poisoned him, I'll-!" Wally yelled angrily, but out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw Robin stir gently.

Wally spun around to face his comrade that'd been his best friends for years. "Rob?" he asked hopefully.

Robin let out a faint moan.

Wally stretched out his hands and comfortingly combed his hair through the ebony locks hanging in his face. "Hey, Rob, wake up. It's okay. I've got y-"

Robin's eyes flew open, widening to the size of golf balls, grabbed Wally's wrist so tight that it started to hurt, and started to scream.


	58. Chapter 58: Ex-girlfriends

"No offense, Zatanna, but I'm starting to think informing the League about Kaldur's situation was a bad idea," Artemis grumbled. The reason being was because she and the others were currently being watched, or, in Artemis's point of view, puppy-guarded by Red Tornado and both her and Rocket's mentors: Green Arrow and Icon, all in the TV room sitting on the green couch. Doctor Fate hadn't showed up to watch over Zatanna, as he said that he was needed elsewhere on another mission. Sadness filled in Zatanna's eyes as she noticed that she was the only one with an absent mentor and father, even though she knew that it was Nabu in control and not Zatara, she had hoped that he would still show. Wolf whined on the ground right next to them, looking worried for his friends and for Superboy. Right next to him, Sphere made continuous anxious beeping noises, also pining for more of their friends' company.

"Hey, be a little more polite. Can't you see how she's feeling right now?" Raquel hissed. Artemis's grumpy face expression softened as soon as she saw Zatanna's sad face.

Zatanna shook her head. "No, maybe Artemis was right. Maybe telling the League was a bad idea after all. Now they won't let us out of their sights."

"This is for your own safety, Raquel." Icon placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Almost half of your team had been captured because you all snuck out, and then another two were taken when there weren't enough Justice League members to help you. And now your leader Aqualad has been taken."

"This is getting serious." Oliver fiddled with the string of his bow uneasily. "And I don't like it at all. Your leader has just been taken and is off the charts, so it's time to get serious at babysitting a bunch of immature teenagers."

"What did you just call us Oliver?" Artemis snapped. "We already told you a hundred times, we can take care of ourselves! If you would've at least trusted us to let us take a stroll on a Saturday morning by ourselves, maybe we wouldn't be as rebellious!"

"Artemis, this is for you own good," Ollie insisted. "Most of your team have already been taken, so it's time to take even more measures than before. It's just you, Zatanna, and Rocket left. There's not even much of a team anymore, especially now that your leader's been kidnapped."

"Now hold on just a second!" Raquel spoke up. "Let's not jump to conclusions here. We don't know if Kaldur's been kidnapped or not."

"Then why else could communication between here and Atlantis has been cut off?" Red Tornado asked.

"Maybe someone else like Ocean Master was attacking Atlantis for the throne like last time," Artemis suggested. "It doesn't mean that Kaldur's missing."

"We don't want to risk it. Especially when it involves you all. We're taking precautionary measures," Icon replied. "Batman and several other League members who aren't on a mission right now are currently tracking to track down the rest of your Team and Aqualad down."

"If only M'gaan was here," Zatanna said glumly as they huddled together while talking in low voices. "Then we could talk all we want in public without giving any of our thoughts away."

"Yeah," said Raquel. "It can be creepy at first having a voice speaking in your head like your conscious, but it gives me a reassuring feeling that I'm never alone, even when I'm physically am. Or," she turned and looked at Zatanna. "It could give you a little private time with your Boy Wonder crush."

Zatanna blushed. "Can you please stop bringing that up? He already has a girlfriend!"

"Getting another girlfriend doesn't seem to change the fact that you still like him and how hard you blush whenever we start to talk about him," Artemis pointed out.

"I just can't help it, okay?" Zatanna sighed, looking glum again. "I feel really guilty for saying this, but I'm actually quite happy when Superboy said that it's possible he still has feelings for me. And to be honest, I'm hoping that we can get back together someday. I feel really bad for saying this, but it's true. I'm not feeling so chalant right now."

"You may not be the only one feeling this way. I mean, Kaldur could be feeling exactly like you about Tula and Garth." Artemis comforted her. "Maybe even Jinx feels like this about me and Wally."

"I'm not so sure 'bout her. She seemed fine with it," Raquel said. "And about your boy problems, Zatanna, why don't you try finding some way to let your feelings out? Maybe you could write it in a private journal or," her voice dropped a few octaves lower, "Speak to your lover boy and confess in private."

Zatanna's face flushed an even brighter shade of pink, contrasting against her big blue eyes as they widened to the size of golf balls. "A-are you being serious about that?"

"One hundred percent." Raquel nodded.

"I-I honestly d-don't know," Zatanna stammered, her skin still flushing a bright pink. "What if lose my breath or get shy? What if Starfire thinks that we're going to be making out or something like we used to before we had to break up?"

"I'm sure she won't," Artemis reassured her. "Starfire doesn't know that you're his ex-girlfriend. I'm sure that none of the Teen Titans know that. She's possessive and all that, but I'm sure she'll allow you to speak to Robin in private without getting jealous. And if you start stuttering, I'm sure Robin will wait patiently for you to speak. He's still sweet with you and all that. Maybe he does still have feelings for you after all.

"Really?" A trickle of hope entered Zatanna's tone. "So then maybe Connor was right." _And then maybe we could be a couple again soon, just like old times,_ she thought, and felt a fresh wave of guilt for thinking like that.

"Hey, speaking about the Teen Titans, are they faring any better with their search for our friends?" Raquel asked.

Artemis shrugged. "Probably not. I mean, they had a good and responsible leader, but if the Justice League couldn't track down someone, then who can?"

 ** _Teen Titans POV:_**

"Ugh, can we just rest now?" Beastboy sprawled on the roof of a building, totally looking exhausted. He had been whining his tail off for the last half hour about sore feet and tired arms from flapping and yadda yadda yadda. (In Raven's point of view) "We have been searching for the last six hours, it's getting close to dinnertime, and we haven't had lunch yet!"

"Yo, Star, I care about Robin as much as you care for him, but I really need to rest," Cyborg groaned, bending his back as it let loose a crick. "I need to recharge before I run out of battery."

"We are the Teen Titans! We do not rest until evil has fallen and our friend and my boyfriend has been returned to us!" Starfire declared, pumping her fist in their air looking determined. "My body will collapse from exhaustion before I sleep!"

"But I'm tiiiiiiiiiired!" Beastboy whined, dragging his body across the roof. "Who made you leader of the Titans anyway?"

"Enough with the whining," Raven snapped. "My ears are already ringing from hearing your voice going over and over on how tired you are, and clearly Starfire doesn't care."

"Urrrgh..." moaned Cyborg. "Not only I'm tired, but I'm starving! I could really use an extra large double pepperoni pizza with extra sausages!"

"Seriously, you're like a supervillain when it comes to eating animals!" Beastboy accused. "Can't you feel them drowning in anguish whenever your mouth consumes them and then your stomach digests them into nonexistence? They're just like Aqualad drowning in anguish when he got dumped by his girl!"

"That question has been eluding me for the past few days." Raven scratched her head, deep in thought. "Who in the name of Azarath would ever dump Aqualad? Every girl he meets has a crush on him, back when his appearance was different, and he even managed to charm a bit of Jump City. Raquel seems to be closer to him than any other girl, but if she was the one that broke her heart, then he would've treated her differently."

"Yo, Bumblebee here." Their communicator beeped and the screen came to life. "Any success? Jinx is worrying her heart out for Kid flash."

Cyborg shook his head. "Nope, but we're successful at slowly losing my booyah."

Bumblebee sighed. "I wish this was easier. Jinx is beginning to get dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep. She constantly talks about Kid flash since she worries so much, and it's starting to drive Mas y Menos crazy."

Cyborg frowned. "Why is she worrying so much? She was like this in the beginning when they first vanished."

Raven shrugged, thought she secretly knew the answer to Jinx's behavior.

"This is so frustrating! My stingers are practically charging from my anger!" Bumblebee snapped. "Just like Starfire will probably feel when she finds out about Robin's ex-girlfriend!"

"Um, excuse me?" Starfire's head instantly swung around, her long red hair flying around her face. "Do you mind repeating what you just said?"

Bumblebee instantly covered her mouth, but it was too late.


	59. Chapter 59: Author's Note: Please Help!

**I'm SOOO sorry about not updating as much as usual! The reason is because schoolwork has been piling up and that I've been running out of ideas, so please pardon me if a new chapter I upload sounds kind of lame! Can all of you reviewers suggest any ideas in the comments for the next chapter so that I won't keep struggling with this story so much? I need your help! It's just like everyone says, two heads are better than one!**

 **By the way, this was supposed to be the next chapter, but just like I said, I have no more ideas. :(**


	60. Chapter 60: What's Going On?

"Rob? Rob! Ow! What's wrong! You're hurting me!" Wally tried to pry Robin's hand off of him, but his grip was like steel clamps.

Turning to Luthor while still trying to shake off his hand, he yelled, "What did you do?!"

"Oh, calm down. This is only the beginning." Luthor smirked.

Robin finally let go of Kid Flash, but then started to claw at his own skin.

"Rob! Stop! You're going to hurt yourself!" Kid Flash tried to grab his hands, but he was flailing around so much that he kept missing.

"His heart rate's accelerating," a voice came from an earpiece Luthor was wearing. "Now what?"

"Keep going. The good part will come soon," Luthor said calmly.

Robin continued to scream, clawing at his skin. Kid Flash started to panic. He had no idea what to do.

"No! Bruce! Don't!" Robin cried out.

"Bruce?" murmured Luthor, a sinister smile spreading across his face. "This is getting interesting."

Wally was now panicking so hard that he could feel his hands beginning to sweat. He couldn't let Luthor find out Batman's and Robin's secret identities.

"Robin! Please! Calm down! I'm here! What's wrong?" he asked desperately, trying to keep Luthor distracted.

Robin showed no signs of calming. Kid Flash was so panicky that he felt like a deer in headlights. What should he do? He knew there was no good in trying to soothe and calm him down. Robin was giving no sign that he even knew he was there.

"It's done now, Mr. Luthor," the voice from Luthor's earpiece suddenly spoke.

"Good. You may stop now," Luthor said, wearing a cold smile.

Immediately, Robin stopped screaming and clawing at his skin and slumped over. But he didn't look any better. His skin was so pale that he was almost white, his eyes were shut as though he was unconscious, and his breathing was labored.

He looked so deathly ill that he looked almost dead. Wally took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down.

 _It's gonna be okay,_ he told himself. _It's gonna be okay._

But it didn't look as though anything would be okay. Robin looked as though he was dying, Superboy and Miss Martian were still unconscious, and Wally was covered head to toe in injuries. Even if he did manage to get out of his restraints, he wouldn't have the strength to run or escape.

Suddenly, there came crashing, banging, shouting, and grunting from Luthor's earpiece and everything went silent.

Luthor frowned. "Roberto? Are you there? Roberto?" He tapped on his earpiece.

 _"No."_ said a very dark and familiar voice.

 **Sorry that this chapter was a bit short! I'm still short on ideas! Don't worry though, I promise that I WILL finish this story. I would really appreciate it if any of you could place chapter ideas in the reviews. Thanks!**


	61. Chapter 61: Breaking Loose

It all happened so fast. Before anyone knew what was happening, the door fell onto the ground with a loud SMASH!

Standing in the doorway was a very angry Batman. He had turned on the full-on Batglare.

Kid Flash felt extreme relief running through his body and coursing through his veins. Finally, help was here.

Batman's eyes fell on Robin's sickly and limp form and everything broke loose.

Now Batman wasn't angry, he was _furious._ He started throwing Batarangs everywhere and soon, all of the guards were down before they could even reach for their weapons.

Grabbing Luthor by the front of his shirt, he yelled, _"What did you do?"_

Before Luthor could respond, a red blur zoomed into the room. Immediately, Kid Flash knew who it was.

"Unc-Flash!" he cried out joyfully.

"Kid!" As soon as the word had left Flash's mouth, he dashed over and vibrated him out of his restraints.

Flash seized him and yanked him into a strong hug.

"What were you thinking? Your mom and dad were so worried! I haven't taken a break for almost an entire day! OhmygodI'msogladtoseeyouIwassoworrieddon'teverdothattomeagainyouhear-"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Kid Flash said, his voice muffled. "Can we go to the medical wing after all of this? Me and Robin still have some injuries we need to heal."

 _"What have you done?"_ Batman's voice caught his attention. He had almost forgotten he was there.

"What do you think? The Light and I told you, we weren't going to kill him, and we didn't," Luthor replied calmly.

Batman punched him across the face, blood spurting from his nose. _"Answer me!"_

There came a loud crash, and more League members spilled into the room. They attacked the guards, who were all now just beginning to wake up.

Martian Manhunter and Superman flew down next to Superboy and Miss Martian, who were now both beginning to regain consciousness. The two aliens ripped the inhibitor collars off their necks and threw them onto the ground, shattering them to pieces. Kid Flash couldn't make out what the four aliens were now saying due to the commotion from the fight between the League members and the guards, and Batman yelling at Luthor, but he saw Martian Manhunter pull M'gaan into a strong hug while Superman rested a hand on Superboy's shoulder.

Kid Flash turned to his uncle with worried eyes. "When this is over, do you think Rob will be alright?" he asked, looking at Robin's ill form.

"I may be a scientist, but I gonna have to scan his body when all of this is over. Don't worry, Kid, I'm sure he'll be fine," he said reassuringly. "Oh, and by the way, I'm never gonna let you out of my sight again."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You've been kidnapped almost every time I take my eyes off you," Flash said. "I don't want to know what the Light has in store for you and the rest of the Team, but for now, you're not going anywhere without me or at least another League member. Sorry, Kid, but school, Mount Justice, Happy Harbor, you're not going anywhere without me."

"But Uncle Barry-!"

"No buts. Me, your mom, and your dad have almost lost you a bunch of times ever since the Light wants to get rid of you and the Team. I don't care how much you're going to whine, I'm not going to change my mind."

Kid Flash huffed, but said nothing. He knew that Flash was right: he was not going to change his mind. Especially not after both he and Robin had been used as test subjects.

"Oh, and by the way, Roy yelled his head off at me, Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman for not being able to rescue you and Robin. I'm pretty sure what's going to happen once he gets his hands on both of you."

Kid Flash gulped, knowing that he and Robin were definitely going to get it once they were in Roy's sight. "Oh boy."

Little did anyone know, Vandal Savage was watching them with a grim smile on his face. "Everything is going according to plan." Nobody knew that this was the part of the Light's plan: they were _letting_ the Justice League rescue the four sidekicks. After they've captured the green archer, the magician girl, and the girl who created annoying force bubbles that infuriatingly wouldn't let anything pierce it, they'll recapture the rest of the Team, and then the real test will come.


	62. Chapter 62: Hysterical

"Hold up a second!" Cyborg said, holding up his hand to halt everyone. "Did you just say Robin has an ex-girlfriend?"

"Yeah she did. So? What's the big deal about it?" Raven asked. "I'm sure some of us here has ex-girlfriends or boyfriends at some of our life. Anyway, getting back on topic. Maybe we should contact Red Arrow and-" Her communicator beeped, along with everyone else's. She fell quiet and pulled out her communicator. Everyone else followed the same motion as she did.

Flash's face appeared onscreen. His usually cheerful and bright-looking face expression now looked pale and worried. "Flash here. I've got some good new and some bad news."

Raven nodded, motioning at him to continue.

Flash took a deep breath. "The good news is that, we found the Team, and that they're in safe hands now. They're currently in Mount Justice recovering, so if you wanna come visit them-"

"I'M COMING, ROBIN!" Starfire was gone in a red and purple blur.

"Hey, wait for me!" Beastboy morphed into a peregrine falcon and launched himself into the air after her.

"Hey guys, wait, I haven't finished explaining!" Flash protested. "You might not want to hear this, but you need to once you see them!"

"Which is?" Raven asked.

Flashed sighed, looking reluctant. Finally he said, "Robin and Kid flash are badly wounded. Fortunately, it'll just take Kid several days before he can run again, and a couple of weeks of Robin's wounds to heal. Unfortunately, it's not Robin's wounds that need fixing right now. It's his mind. Lex Luthor did something to him. Kid said that he injected Robin with a colorless, odorless liquid that caused Robin's mind to go haywire. We can't wake him up, not even Martian Manhunter. None of the sedatives had worked on him; he keeps screaming mumbo jumbo. It's either screaming, whimpering, or crying that comes out of his mouth."

Starfire gasped and put a hand on her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes, her communicator still in her hands while flying. Beastboy let out a pain-filled trill for his comrade. Cyborg, Raven, and Bumblebee looked on in horror.

"...And the others?" Bumblebee asked weakly.

Flash hesitated, looking at them with great sadness. "...We didn't find Aqualad, but we found Superboy and Miss Martian. However, there's something wrong with them too. They were coming to when we rescued them, but slumped unconscious once more as soon as their inhibitor collars were removed. We don't know why yet, but what we do know is that they won't wake up; they won't respond to any of our waking tactics. It's like they're in some kind of coma."

"Oh god, this is not happening..." Cyborg swallowed, anger replacing his sadness. "The Light are all gonna pay for this! Titans go! To Mount Justice!"

 ** _Happy Harbor:_**

"Ekaw pu nibor!" Zatanna commanded. Robin let out a yelp of pain as though her words had physically hurt him and curled into a ball. Batman stood right next to his hospital bed, his hand clutching Robin's. Robin was clutching his hand so tight that his knuckles were probably turning white under his gloves. Batman's other hand was in Robin's hair, combing through it in a vain effort to calm him down. His face was stoic as usual, but underneath his grim shaped lips, his teeth were gritted, and no one was fooled; all the League and Team members knew that he was ready to explode any minute. Batman had beat Luthor to a pulp till he started bleeding, but still he kept punching. Superman had to physically hold him back, but as soon as he let go of Connor, he'd let out a strangled choking sound, grabbed at his throat, threw himself to the floor, twitched hysterically for a moment, and then was still. Miss Martian's reaction to her uncle releasing her to walk on her own had been the same, except that she'd started wailing before falling unconscious. So far, nobody knew what was the source of their coma.

Racquel, Superman, and J'onn stood right to Connor and Megan's hospital bed, their side completely silent, and Artemis and the Flash stood right next to Wally, her hands in his.

"And don't you ever do that again! You scared the heck outta me!" she growled.

"Chillax, babe! I'll be alright! You heard Uncle Barry, I'll be up and running in 'bout 5 days!" he grinned.

"Yeah, if we'll let you," Artemis snapped. "You're officially not allowed to sacrifice yourself for me ever again, you hear me, Baywatch? Or I'll nurse you back to health personally so I can kick your butt."

Wally laughed good-naturedly. "Noted," he said.

"If you sacrifice yourself again Walls," Barry said, his face looking less tense. "I'll ground you for life, along with your mom and dad."

Someone cleared their throat, and they turned to see Black Canary approaching them.

"Wally," she said softly. "I have some news about your condition."

"Well, is it something good?" he asked, looking excited. "Am I going to recover faster in just a day, like tomorrow?"

Black Canary swallowed as she heard the hopefulness in his tone, and wished that she could just tell him yes, that he'll be all better tomorrow, this was all a bad dream, and that her kids are all alive and healthy, with Kaldur present. Instead she shook her head, dreading spilling the news to him. "No Wally, I came here to tell you that, there's some kind of poison on your wounds. It must've been on Ra's al Ghul's sword when he slashed you, to keep you from recovering. It's keeping your wounds from healing, and unless if we can find an antidote to combat the poison, your injuries will never heal."

Wally's hopeful smile vanished. "Whoa, wait a second. What'd ya say?" he asked slowly.

Black Canary repeated what she said.

"So, are you saying that, there's a chance that my nephew may never run again, if we don't find the antidote to his wounds?" the Flash asked, his voice barely louder than a whisper, his hand clutching Wally's, his other clasped on his shoulder.

"Yes," Dinah answered grimly.

"But that can't be!" Artemis stammered. "Wally has a strong metabolism. He can fight off the infection, I know it!"

"Yeah!" Wally pumped his fist up in the air confidently. "I'm sure my metabolism will burn off the poison in a few days. So my healing's delayed, I can live with that!"

"No Wally, even your body can't handle it." Dinah looked incredibly sad for him. "I'm sorry, Wally. There's a chance your body may never recover."

Wally's confident smile disappeared. "W-what? NO! T-this can't be happening!" He looked completely devastated. "I'm a speedster! Running's my life! I can't be paralyzed! I just can't! It's bad enough that my best friend's hallucinating! Do you now how it feels, having to listen to Rob scream for help and you can't help him at all? Do you have any idea how guilty and helpless I feel not being able to rush to the rescue?!" His voice rose to a scream. "And then I face the possibility that Connor and Megan may never wake up! And for the first time, J'onn and Zatanna's powers aren't helping our friends's mental condition at all! And Kaldur's missing somewhere in the Pacific, or the Atlantis Ocean, I don't know! He could've been captured and tortured by Black Manta, his father right now, that he just discovered months ago! Do you have any idea how anguished he felt, seeing that his father was a genuine monster and murderer?! Why can't I seem to help my best friend? Why won't M'gaan and Supey wake up? Why won't there be any update about Kaldur's well-being? Why?! Why can't we seem to help our friends when they need our help the most? Why why WHY?!" He seemed hysterical.

Zatanna burst into tears. Tears were streaming down Artemis's face. Racquel's bottom lip was trembling. Superman looked as though he was holding the weight of the entire world on his shoulders. Shame filled Martian Manhunter's face expression as he slumped forward, gazing at M'gaan's and Connor's closed eyes and peaceful expression. Flash looked ready to cry. Batman looked ready to kick in the wall again; he had never felt so much at loss at self-control in his entire life. They've never seen Wally loose this much control their whole life; they all felt ready to snap like he did too, so honestly, they couldn't blame him for going hysterical.

Bruce turned and was about to punch in the wall again, when the zeta tube announced someone's arrival, but it couldn't be heard above the screams of, "WHY WASN'T I NOTIFIED OF MY BROTHERS' AND FRIENDS CONDITION EARLIER, YOU BUNCHES OF #%$ &?!"

Wally chuckled without mirth. "Hey Roy..."


	63. Chapter 63: Nightmares

"WALLACE RUDOLPH WEST, IF YOU GET YOURSELF CAPTURED AND HURT ONE MORE TIME, I WILL #&%-" Roy was screaming at the top of his lungs, his fingers twitching. The only thing that seemed to stop him from tackling Wally in a big bro hug while simultaneously punching him for being an idiot was the fact that Wally was still wounded with bandages wrapped around various parts of his body.

"Geez Roy, I get it already. Can you tone your voice down? You're giving me a headache, and it looks like Supey's old man there are already suffering from migraines," Wally winced. Sure enough, the Kryptonian was wincing as he rubbed the side of his head, shooting a dirty look at Roy. Roy ignored him.

"Yo, Aquaman, any sign of Kaldur?" Rocket asked over her codec.

A discouraged and impatient sigh was heard from the other side. "Negative. We've been at this for days, and there's been no side of him. Of all the members of the Team, he's been the only one that's missing."

"Maybe that's because he's team leader?" Zatanna suggested. "Maybe the Light are keeping him under closer surveillance, or maybe he's just lost in the ocean somewhere. You know how big the ocean is."

"That doesn't sound like Kaldur'ahm," Aquaman disagreed. "Kaldur knows the exact coordinates of the city of Atlantis. He could just ask a sea creature nearby for which sea and ocean he's in and pinpoint his coordinates and then swim his way back to Atlantis. If he was simply just around in the ocean heading back towards Atlantis, one of my search parties would've found him already."

Robin moaned and thrashed around on his bed. Batman's gloved hand sifted through his hair and bangs, trying in vain to calm him down. His face was as stoic as usual, but if his friends and teammates looked more closely, they could see they his fists were clenched tighter than usual, eyes more narrowed than before, and the lines of his mouth set in an angry scowl instead of a grim line.

Batman bent down to Robin's head level and whispered something that they couldn't make out in Robin's ear. Since they couldn't understand it, Wally, Roy, and Clark assumed that he was talking in Romanian. Robin's face relaxed, but only marginally.

 _"No! Please, no! I didn't do anything!" Robin screamed inside his endless nightmare that Lex Luthor had bestowed him with. Cities was in ruins, corpses lying everywhere, and most painfully of all, all his friends lying dead, including the Teen Titans._

 _He crouched down and began to sob closest to Bruce's, Wally, and Starfire. It was all his fault. The Light had teamed up with all of the supervillains. The superheroes had all bravely fought against them, but were eventually overpowered and killed. And he had just stood by and watched the bad guys rip the heroes' lives right out of their bodies, without doing anything. He'd struggled to get his body to move, but for some reason his body felt as heavy as lead and steel. He could not move a muscle. It was like Mr. Freeze had just shot him with his freeze gun._

 _And when he watched Kitten wrap her whip around Starfire and throw her into a skyscraper, he could've just pulled out a simple birdarang from his utility belt and disarmed Kitten within a couple of seconds. The villains that the Teen Titans had all ever faced were against his friends. He could've easily taken out five of them at once, including Slade, without breaking a sweat! Holding back big time against those kind of corny enemies had paid off; they seriously underestimated him. But now, Dick's arms could not move. His legs would not run or jump or flip._

 _And then, the corpses of his dead friends began to rise. "It's all your fault," accused Artemis, her blonde hair ripped to shreds. "You were the leader of the Teen Titans. Kaldur put his trust in you! He said that you would lead us all better against the Titans' enemies than himself! You're the worst and irresponsible leader ever!"_

 _"But more than that, a horrible friend," Kaldur snapped. his neck twisted to the side at a painful angle after Black Manta smashed his foot down onto his throat. "Don't you care about us; your own friends that would fight to the death to protect you? And this is how you repay us; by leading us to our deaths and the downfall of the entire world to the supervillains?"_

 _"Pffft, my consciousness was right," Wally scoffed, his once vibrant green eyes and fiery hair dulled to a muddy camouflage color. "The only thing you ever cared about was the mission. It's always about the mission. Nothing else matters, not even us. You're just like Batman!" he screamed, every word slicing through Robin's heart painfully as though he was being slashed by a sword at the inside._

 _"B-but that's not true. I-I really tried you guys, I really-" Robin stammered, as he took a step back, realizing that he could move again._

 _"Oh really? You tried?" Superboy sneered, a huge dent in the middle of his chest where his heart was located where Mammoth and Blockbuster had punched him. "You call standing in the middle of the fray in where the fight was thickest while doing nothing while his friends were losing as trying? That's lame!_

 _"Are you really that scared, Dick?" M'gaan asked, looking confused and angry, a bright red stab wound where Poison Ivy's plant had stabbed her from behind. "We've gone against villains like the Injustice League and Amazo! Maybe the League was right. Maybe you're too young for this. Maybe you just don't have what it takes to be a superhero at all!"_

 _"But-"_

 _"Ugh, get away from me!" Raquel snapped, creating a force field around herself. "Don't you dare touch me with those tainted hands! They'll always be stained with the blood of me and your friends who've all died because you're too lazy!"_

 _"She's right," Beastboy growled. "You always you're above us all. You think you're so much smarter and all that. Is that all what you saw me as: a silly jokester who can't take anything seriously and also the weakest on the Teen Titans?"_

 _"Why did you hold back?" Cyborg accused, his blaster out in the open, aimed at Robin, his armour cracked. "You could've shown us your potential! You could've helped me with hacking enemies computers and get the job done faster! You could've-no would've had had the Doom Patrol take us more seriously as a superhero team, and saved all of your teammates and friends against the Brotherhood of Evil!'_

 _"Maybe you could've even saved Terra!" Beastboy practically screamed at him. his green eyes, filled with rage, grief, and tears. "But you never cared about her! You're just like Slade!"_

 _"What?! N-no! I'm not anything like him, I-"_

 _"Tuhs pu!" His mouth suddenly clamped shut, unable to open. His face turned to the side, and he sucked in his breath. Zatanna._

 _"You're pathetic," she sneered, her once pretty features twisted up into a sneer. "I can't bear to listen to any more of your lame stutters and excuses. I used to melt at the sound of your wonderful voice. I can't believe I had a crush on you. Why'd I even love you in the first place? I must've been out of my mind. A boy like you could also never love me too."_

 _"That's not true!" he so desperately wanted to say. He loved her- he really do. He couldn't understand why he was so torn up over her. Then the painful realization hit: He still loved her. Even though he loved Starfire more than his own life and she was his current girlfriend, he still loved his ex-girlfriend. That's why it felt like he was breathing faster whenever he was talking to her for the past few days-he wasn't just imagining it. Guilt swarmed over him in gallons, as though he was being pelted by ocean waves over and over again by the painful truth._

 _"Why didn't you ever tell us?" Raven demanded, her once calm and expressionless eyes cold and furious. "Do you really not trust us that much; we were nothing more than mere sidekicks? How could you?"_

 _A starbolt hit him in the center of his chest, but it was nothing compared to the pain he felt in his heart by their words. A blur of red hair hovered above him, and the sight of who hit him took his breath away. "Starfire," he breathed._

 _"Don't you dare say my name like that, Robin!" she yelled, a starbolt in each hand, her eyes filled with angry tears. "You promised me that you loved me more than anyone, and the only one who rivals me was your caretaker and guardian, your Batman, that's what he's called? And yet you went behind my back and made out with Zatanna!_

 _"What? But since when did I do that?" he protested, his mouth opening again. "I never-"_

 _"Oh, be quiet, troq!" she shrieked. "That's all what you see me as; a troq! I hate you, Robin! I hate you more than anything!"_

 _Her words sliced through his heart as though a knife was carving into his flesh. "Please, Starfire, no!" he begged. "I love you, I really do-"_

 _"You are such a disappointment." Robin instantly felt shudders run up his spine. He didn't have to turn around to know that it was Bruce who said it._

 _"Please, Bruce, I-" he pleaded._

 _"No excuses Richard," he scolded, cowl off and showing him his cold, stoic face filled with disappointment and anger. "You failed the mission, you failed your friends, but most importantly, you failed me and your parents. I'm not the only one disappointed in you. I regret taking you in, Dick. You were nothing more than a burden to me and an extra mouth to feed. You are no son of mine."_

 _Then, he and the rest of his friends drew their weapons, with many of their scars and wounds remaining from their previous battle, blood dripping from their faces, and charged._

"What do you think he's dreaming about?" Zatanna asked curiously, holding Robin's hand in hers. He suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream. Startled, she drew back.

The Teen Titans instantly ran into the infirmary.

"Oh my god, Robin!" Starfire cried even harder when she saw him, and and wrapped her arms around him as gently as she could without hurting him.

She then noticed that one of his hands was being held by Zatanna. She gave her a suspicious glance. Zatanna blushed and reluctantly let go his hand, unwilling to part with his warmth and her still-lover.

The Teen Titans took in the Team's injured states, looking horrified. Wally groaned and covered his face with his hands.

"Great, more coddling. As if Roy isn't enough."

"Oh my gosh, Kid flash!" Jinx shrieked. "Are you okay? What happened to you? Will you be okay? How-?"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down," Wally said, holding up a hand to quiet her. "One question at a time, please. My mentor Flash is the one with all the speedtalk, not me."

"But to answer your questions," Artemis piped up. "One: He's okay for now, he'll live. Two: Ra's al Ghul did this to him with a sword, got all unfriendly with him while asking a few questions, and trying to protect his friends from further torture, the lovable, stupid wuss. ("Hey!" Wally protested.) And Three: "I guess he's okay-" Artemis looked away, avoiding eye contact. "Well, for now, I think."

"What do you mean, for now?" Jinx questioned, looking nervous for her crush. "And what do you mean by 'you think?"

"Can you tell her, Arty?" Wally pleaded. "It's really depressing to talk about, and I don't really want to hear about it."

Artemis took a deep breath, then told Jinx about Wally's uncertain future if his legs would ever get healed.

Jinx's mouth fell open, staring at her and Wally in shock and horror. Next to her, the Teen Titans' face expressions mirrored her own face expression minus Starfire, who was still sobbing over Robin's whimpering body., although Raven's face looked less dramatic.

Wally froze when he saw Roy standing nearby, his face turning the color of his uniform and his hand beginning to crack his bow in his tight grip. He looked like an active volcano about to explode any second.

Wally gulped. "Hey Arty, next time tell Roy when you guys are in a different room, okay?"


	64. Chapter 64: Zatanna's Confession

"What do you mean that you won't be able to run again?!" shrieked Jinx, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"It's only a possibility!" Wally corrected. "I'm sure Un-I mean, Flash and the others will wipe up an antidote in no time! Right?" He plastered a weary, hopeful smile on his face.

"Uh, Kid, the possibility of getting cured is a one out of-" Barry began to tell Wally quite reluctantly, but was then interrupted by Roy screaming, "Kid, you sacrifice yourself like that one more time, and I'll be the one that'll take away _your_ speed, you ridiculous, unbelievable, i-"

"I'm starting to wonder if Green Arrow was lying about not cursing and saying bad language in front of Roy," Raven spoke up, listening as Roy called Wally all sorts of unflattering names.

"I'm starting to wonder if Robin will ever stop screaming and yelling," Raquel winced, over her hands over her ears as she watched Robin thrash around on the hospital bed continuously, even with Batman comfortingly squeezing his hand. His face was as stoic as usual, but his eyes had started twitching; he was beginning to lose control over the tough, cold armor he had on his emotions.

"NO! Zatanna, Starfire, no, I didn't mean to! I loved both of you, I really do!" Robin suddenly screamed aloud.

Bruce's hand shot out to muffle his son's screams. But it was too late.

The Teen Titans all stared at Robin in disbelief. "...What did he just say?" Bumblebee asked in a dazed tone.

"Um..." Wally and the others all desperately tried to think up of some excuse or lie to tell the Titans of what Robin meant.

Zatanna's cheeks were so red that they contrasted deeply against her long hair. She avoided eye contact with everyone, especially Robin's team, who're now all staring at her too.

Fortunately Batman came to her rescue. "Robin had always seen Zatanna as the sister he never had," he said, adopting a calm, emotionless tone that he certainly did not feel right now. "He loves her like a sister. He views everyone on this Team as adopted siblings."

"Oh," Beastboy said, exhaling. "For a moment I thought he was cheating on Starfire. Boy, would that had been a scene I would've much preferred to avoid. You've have nothing to worry about, Star."

Starfire nodded, but it was quite stiff, still looking at Zatanna with suspicious jealousy.

"As clever as you are Batman, it sounded like Robin loved Zatanna in the same way as Starfire did," Raven said. "It sounded like he loved them in the both in the same way."

"He doesn't," snapped Roy. "Starfire is his girlfriend now. Why do you think I've never went too far with the flirting on her? It was because I saw how much Robin loves her. It's quite obvious. Even people who is the most oblivious on love can see that Robin really loves Starfire."

Zatanna blushed even harder and looked at the wall. There was no mistaking the blush on her cheeks now. It was as bright and noticeable as the time when Artemis was dared to wear makeup while playing the game Truth or Dare with the Team by Wally, and being a non-expert on makeup, had accidentally applied too much that made it look like she was embarrassed.

"Well," Bumblebee drawled. "If he doesn't love Zatanna, then WHY IS SHE BLUSHING?" She pointed right at Zatanna, who blushed even harder as she said that.

"I so am not!" Zatanna protested, attempting to cover her face with her hands.

"Si es usted!" Mas y Menos said, pointing at her red face. (Yes you are!")

"That can't be!" Starfire yelled. "Robin has told me countless times how much he loves me and how much I mean to him!"

"That is true!" Wally hastily spoke. "He does love you. That's why he always warns me that you're off limits."

"He's right, because he's such a flirt," Artemis agreed. "I can't tell you how many girls he's flirted with: Black Canary, Miss Martian, innocent female pedestrians on their way to the mall who got in the line of fire, I could go on and on."

"Hey, I don't hit on girls that much!" Wally protested. "I only hit on one girl right now, and that girl is you!" Artemis snorted in disbelief and rolled her eyes. Even though they're a couple, it was still hard for Wally to break his old habit when he comes across a pretty girl.

"Anyway, back on the subject," Roy spoke up. "Does Robin seem like the type of guy that would cheat on his hot girlfriend and unloyal to his friends? You all already know the answer to that. He adores you, Starfire."

"Really?" Starfire asked, her eyes still shining with suspicion, but now with also hope.

"Yes, really!" Raquel said genuinely. "Ever since he and the others came out of hiding from the Teen Titans, he's been going on and on about how brave, compassionate, and kind you are, I could go on for hours about how long he talked about you. Got quite annoying after a while." she grumbled.

Jealousy filled Zatanna's heart. "But he used to gush on and on about how wonderful I was too," she muttered to herself. "I wish he would pay more attention to me than Starfire for once in those past few days." Then she felt incredibly guilty for saying such a selfish thing.

She looked up and saw all of her mentors and friends' surprised faces, slack in disbelief at what she said. Starfire's face was filled with shock and hurt. Zatanna's insides twisted. Did she really just say that aloud?

"Yes," said Superman in a strained tone. "Yes, you did."

Oops.


	65. Chapter 65: The Relationship Truth

"YOU were Robin's ex-girlfriend?!" Jinx burst out, pointing at Zatanna. "You?!"

Zatanna's face now felt as hot as the volcano back in Yosemite Valley when she went on her first official mission with the Team. Everyone could now see that she was red-faced now.

Raven merely blinked. "Out of all the girls on this team, I did not see this coming."

"Bu...but I don't understand," Starfire stammered, her face looking like Zatanna had just called her a troq. "Are you saying that you want to take Robin away from me?"

"Erm...well...um..." Zatanna stammered, unsure how to respond.

"Let us get this straight," Artemis spoke up. "You're still in love with Robin, and you're jealous of how much he loves Starfire and that he's moved on. That would explain why you kept shooting Starfire weird looks whenever you thought we weren't looking."

"Okay, hold up a sec," Cyborg piped up, holding up his right hand to silence everyone. "Let's get straight to the point, cause I'm super confused and would really appreciate it if someone offered an explanation. How were-"

"I was Robin's girlfriend, and why we broke up?" the ebony finished. She looked away. "I already know what you're going to ask."

Wally cleared his throat awkwardly. "Look, um, we understand if you don't want to talk about it right now. I know that it's a very sensitive topic, one that you did not enjoy while enjoying 'casual girl talk' with Miss M, Artemis, and Rocket."

"He's right," said Superman. "No one's forcing you, and this is a very personal-"

"No, it's alright," Zatanna interrupted. "I'm sorry Starfire, I owe you and explanation about my relationship with Robin, after what I said to you. Anyway," she continued. "Robin and I met each other almost a year ago, around September, when my dad Zatara finally allowed me to visit Mount Justice. Robin was the first to introduce himself, quite enthusiastically. We just hit it off right away. I think it was love at first sight; we were just attracted to each other like magnets. Three weeks later, we started dating."

"You guys seemed to have a pretty secure relationship," Bumblebee commented. "I don't see how you two could've broken up so quickly."

"Yeah, did you both get into a big fight or something?" Beastboy asked curiously. "Robin's attitude of how he handled being leader of the Teen Titans was quite different and not the best when he got himself in some really tough situations."

Zatanna sighed heavily as she pressed a hand against her forehead. "No, just like you said, Bumblebee, we were really secure. We really loved each other, and I know that there's no such thing as a perfect relationship, but if such a thing did exist, then ours seemed to be just like that. Robin was just so understanding and loyal, and he hardly ever got jealous, which to me proved how much he trusted me. He was also always giving me really thoughtful and expensive gifts, even though I insisted that it wasn't necessary. In the end, it wasn't me or him who really ended our relationship. It was my dad."

"But why?" Cyborg asked. "Didn't he trust you to take care of yourself?"

"That's part of the reason," Zatanna admitted. "He also thought that I was too young to date. Zatara was a very protective father, sometimes a little too protective. He trusted Robin with my life, but he still didn't approve the fact that I was going out with boys in my early teen years. But I still loved Robin, and I didn't want to break up with him, and neither did he. We loved each other too much to do that."

"(So what happened?)" Mas y Menos asked. Batman translated for them.

Zatanna looked down at her fingernails, fidgeting. "I did something that I never did before: I lied and went behind his back. I mean, sometimes I would give him some little white lies sometimes, but never something this big. The last time it was something big was when Miss Martian told Zatara and Black Canary that the Team were just giving me a tour of Happy Harbor when we were really flying out of the state looking for Red Tornado. I felt guilty, but I really didn't want to end me and Robin's relationship together; we were so happy. Therefore, we...fake broke up."

"And?" Raven questioned.

"And," Zatanna continued. "We managed to keep things under wraps for two weeks. But right before the episode of when the children and adults were separated in November, he found out what we've been doing. He discovered our secret after I finally managed to beg my dad for a whole day to let me visit the Cave, when everyone was cleaning out and buying groceries and supplies. Robin and the others were all out on the bioship buying groceries. He went into Robin's room to clear out the mess, and saw his presents and humorous love poems dedicated to me with my name written on them. If I could go back in time, I would've handled things differently. Maybe I wouldn't have been so immature," she answered glumly.

"It was immature to go out with a boy you've met for only several weeks without your father's permission," Raven agreed. "You were in your early teen years, judging by how old you look now. Besides, teenage love never lasts, especially in high school. You should've-"

"No, not that," Zatanna interrupted again. "It wasn't that I handed badly. It was the aftermath after my father discovered I lied to him. He confronted me about those presents and letters, and I panicked. I lied again and told him that those presents were from a few weeks ago, when we were still dating. But he was my dad; he knows me too well to know when I'm lying. So we got into this really huge argument, which ended with me storming off to vent to Artemis, who'd just returned with everyone else with supplies. I said some stuff to him that I really regret now." She buried her face in her hands.

"I told him that he was overprotective and that if he really loved me, he'd want me to be happy that I'd found love, and that he'd never understand me" she continued tearfully. "I told him to go away and leave me alone. And that's when I left to find my best friend."

"So that was it? It was your father who made you two dump each other?" Beastboy asked. "Typical overprotective parent behavior."

"Well, not really," Zatanna said, still looking tearful. "He was the reason we broke up. He never forced us to break up. But when the witch boy Klarion and other evil sorcerers separated the world between adults and children, I instantly regretted what I said to him. I was venting to Artemis about how overprotective Zatara can be as we entered the same room to greet and help my friends, and that's when he vanished. That's when I started feeling bad, and that was why I felt so sad when we were seperated. And we defeated Klarion, that was the last time I ever saw him."

"What are you talking about? Was he killed or something?" Beastboy asked. "Ow!" he hissed as Raven elbowed him.

"Could you at least make it sound a little less blunt?" Raven grumbled.

Zatanna recoiled. "What? No! He wasn't! But..." her voice trailed off. "He mights as well have been. Remember Doctor Fate from the Justice League? The one with the golden helmet on his head?"

"The guy with the mysterious voice and who kept making those glowing gold symbols?" Cyborg asked. "What has he got to do with this?"

"Because Doctor Fate is her dad right now," Raquel piped up. "He's still here, well, sort of."

"Wait a minute," Bumblebee said, looking surprised and puzzled. "Your father's still here? Then why are you looking so tearful now? Your dad's still here and alive, fighting crime alongside you! You don't seem to be the closest right now, but at least you two still love each other, right?"

"No, he isn't, not anymore," Zatanna sniffed, her eyes beginning to well up with emotional tears. "His body is still present, but that's all what's left, a shell. Doctor Fate has possessed his mind for months."

"Hold on a sec! Are you saying-" Beastboy exclaimed.

"Yes, Zatara is under Doctor Fate's helmet. Her father is Doctor Fate," Roy answered impatiently.

"So, you're saying your father is still around, but you can't speak or interact in any form of communication with him," Raven finished.

"Yes," Zatanna gulped, tears falling down her face. "He still around me, but it's like he is completely gone from my life. The last thing I ever said to him was that I wished he would just leave me alone. And he did. Now I can never apologize to him." She let out a choked sob as she wiped a tear from her cheek.

Bumblebee and Cyborg each put a hand on her shoulder. "There, there, Zatanna," Bumblebee comforted. "I know how guilty you much feel, but that doesn't change how much your dad loved you. If he really knew you, he would've known that you would apologize sooner or later."

"Yeah," said Cyborg. "Heck, Robin and I got into a big fight once, and we said some really nasty and hurtful things to each other that we quickly regretted afterwards. It almost cost him his life. Don't dwell on it too much."

"Yeah," Beastboy grinned as he elbowed Cyborg. "Don't forget about the many, many times that me and my bud here have yelled over the TV remote or the video game controller while calling each other all sorts of unflattering names. We don't even apologize to each other anymore because it happens so often."

"A little too often," Raven grumbled as she put a hand to her temple. "It's loud enough to make me go deaf."

"Which reminds me," Wally grins as he looked over at Artemis. "Remember the good old times, babe, where we would argue for hours and make snarky comments while on missions?"

"Never gets old, and will forever be treasured." Artemis smiled back.

A small, amused smile flickered across Zatanna's face. She sniffed as she wiped another tear. "Thanks, you guys."

"So, you and Robin, are you two still a...couple?" Starfire asked curiously, her eyebrows furrowed.

Zatanna shook her head. "No, after that event, I confronted Robin, and after we talked for a few hours, we ultimately decided to break up." She looked down at her feet. "It was the most hardest decision I've ever had to make in my life, even more harder than deciding to take the risk of putting Doctor Fate's helmet on. He looked so miserable afterwards, but he finally agreed that maybe we'd be just better off as friends."

"So, is that the reason why you two are just friends? Only because you thought it would make your dad happy?" Jinx asked.

Zatanna nodded. "Yes."

Starfire looked uncomfortable and nervous. "So, does this mean that Robin doesn't love me? He still loves her?" she asked.

Flash sighed. "Geez, babe, stop acting so paranoid. Relationships between a boyfriend and a girlfriend is all about love and trust. Do you trust Robin?"

Starfire looked surprised. "Of course I trust Robin! I trust him with my life!"

"Then maybe you should trust Robin enough to believe that he loves you," reasoned Superman. "He was so enthusiastic while talking about you. If- er, when he wakes up, you and Zatanna should have a nice long talk with him."

"Hold up, there is one thing I still don't get," Cyborg piped up again. "If Doctor Fate possessed Zatara's body, then how did he do that in the first place? Isn't he supposed to be a hero?"

"Doctor Fate is the Lord of Order," Wally explained. "Remember that helmet that Zatara wears? As long as he wears the helmet, he'll be Nabu forever. You can only be released from his control over your body if you take you the helmet off?"

Beastboy looked even more confused. "Okay, now I don't get it. You said that unless you take off the helmet, you'll be trapped in Doctor Fate's control forever. why can't you just take the helmet off yourself? Ow! Seriously? What's with you?" he hissed at Raven as he rubbed his shoulder where she'd elbowed him again.

"They said that Doctor Fate takes control of your body, genius," she said, looking exasperated and annoyed. "It sounds like to me Doctor Fate has to take off the helmet himself to release you. But how do you convince him to do that?"

"You can speak to him while wearing the helmet, since you're in his consciousness," Wally explained again. "But trust me, it's not easy."

Jinx's eyes narrowed. "You speak from experience, don't you?"

Wally shuddered. "Yup. Never risking putting on that thing again. Nuh uh. I highly recommend not to unless you have no absolute choice."

"Wow, trapped in someone's head for the rest of your life. Sounds incredibly-" Beastboy was interrupted when they heard the heartbeat monitor speed up from Superboy and M'gaan.

Superman and Martian Manhunter were immediately at their side, checking over their vitals. "They're no longer in a coma!" Superman exclaimed. "Their slumber has gotten much lighter!"

Wally, Artemis, Raquel, and everyone else's eyes lit up in hopeful excitement. "Really? So they'll finally wake up?" Artemis asked excitedly.

"Bout time!" Wally exclaimed gleefully. "I can't wait!"

Martian Manhunter frowned. "Yes, they do appear to be waking up, but they seem to be in an extremely uncomfortable state, and I am currently unable to determine where and why."

Mas y Menos zoomed right over and chattered excitedly as they started poking at the meta-humans.

"What are they saying?" Red Arrow asked, looking confused and annoyed. "I hate it when I can't understand them."

"They say that they'll try to wake them up for us," Batman translated, not budging from his spot from sitting right next to Robin's bed, whose whimpering was forgotten in the excitement of Connor and M'gaan's awakening.

"Wait, I don't think it's a really good idea to-" Superman started, but Mas y Menos were both already on the hospital bed, poking and prodding at their bodies.

Connor started to cringe and growl quietly, while M'gaan grimaced. Encouraged, the twins poked and shook them even harder.

"(Wake up!)" they both cried.

And instantly a pair of large, muscular hands shot out and wrapped tightly around Mas y Menos neck.


	66. Chapter 66: An Enraged Hero

"Whoa! Superboy! Cool it! It's us!" exclaimed Bumblebee.

But Superboy didn't seem to hear her as he threw Mas and Menos across the room.

Everyone almost fell in shock when they saw Superboy's eyes. There was no trace of humanity in there. They were wild and feral, like a wounded beast.

He leaped out of bed and landed onto the floor so hard it cracked.

"Superboy! Stop! It's us!" Rocket cried out, but once again, he didn't acknowledge her words.

He let out a roar of rage and punched the wall, debris flying down.

"Dude! Stop! Think of M'gaan!" Wally tried to reason.

M'gaan also had woken up, but when she saw everyone gathered around her, she yelped in fright and jumped under the bed as fast as she could and started sobbing.

"M'gaan, it is alright. It is merely us," Martian Manhunter soothed.

He reached towards her, but she recoiled and sobbed harder.

"M'gaan, it is me, your uncle. Do you not recognize me?"

She gave no reply and continued sobbing, scooting further away from him.

Suddenly, Superboy jumped up towards the ceiling. However, instead of falling back down, he continued to levitate in the air.

"Dude, no way," Wally gaped at him. "Are you...actually flying?"

Everyone looked shocked as well. The only for Superboy to fly was to use his "gift" from Lex Luthor and he had used them all up.

Heat vision shot out of his eyes, frying the door.

 _"And_ you have heat vision?" Wally stared at him in disbelief. "How-"

Growling, Superboy used his heat vision again, this time aiming at the bed M'gaan was under, melting it.

"Superboy, stop! M'gaan is under there!" Zatanna yelled. "You're going to fry her!"

The bed completely melted away, revealing a curled up M'gaan. When she saw that the bed was gone, she yelped and curled into an even tighter ball.

Superboy's eyes started to glow red again.

"Superboy! Stop! Can't you see it's M'gaan?" shouted Superman, trying to restrain him.

But as soon as he touched him, he whipped around and punched him so hard that he went crashing through several walls.

Roaring in anger again, he turned around and punched Black Canary, sending her flying out the door he used heat vision on.

"Eudbus mih!" Zatanna commanded, and the green couch from the TV room floated up and flew in his direction.

Heat vision shot out of Superboy's eyes again, cutting the couch in half and landing at his feet.

Letting out another furious roar, he picked up a half of the couch and threw it at Starfire, who yelped and dodged it.

Picking up the other half, he threw it at Raven, who also dodged it. "I don't know what's wrong with him, but apparently he's furious," she said.

"Tell me about it!" Beast Boy yelped as he ducked to avoid a punch from Superboy.

"Superboy! That's enough!" Superman flew back into the room and grabbed his arms.

Whipping around, he headbutted him and kicked him into the wall.

"What's wrong with him?" Flash jumped back as Superboy used heat vision again.

Batman threw a Batarang at him. "I'm not sure, but somehow he now has all of Superman's powers and he's been injected with some kind of rage virus."

The Batarang bounced off his shoulder. He barely seemed to notice it and he picked up a hospital bed and threw it at Rocket, who encased herself in her force field.

"Rage virus? How do you even infect someone with rage?" Cyborg aimed a blast at Superboy.

The blast made him stumble back a few steps, but he just roared in rage and jumped out of the blast, landing near Cyborg and punching him in the face.

"Is there any way to calm him down?" Starfire asked. "Perhaps-"

"In this state, no," Batman threw a bomb at him. "There is no calming down someone when they're infected with a rage virus."

Superboy jumped up so high that his head hit the ceiling, causing bits of debris to come down, but he barely seemed to notice it and continued to levitate, frying everything with his heat vision.

"Whoa! Superboy! Stop!" Cyborg rolled out of the heat vision's way. "You're going to bring the whole place down it you don't stop!"

"There's no point in reasoning with him." Raven said grimly. "Batman's right. In this state, there's no calming him down."

Black Canary unleashed her canary cry on Superboy, sending him flying a few feet away.

He got back up and continued to howl in fury, picking up a chunk of the floor and throwing it aside.

Superman punched him into another room, and flew after him.

"What are we gonna do?" Beast Boy was panicking. "At this rate he's going to wreck everything, including us!"

Superman came flying back onto the floor and Superboy landed on him and started to punch his face repeatedly.

Wonder Woman threw her Lasso of Truth at him, tying him up, and throwing him through two walls.

"Do you think this was the experiment the Light wanted to test on all of you?" Red Arrow notched an arrow.

"I'm not sure. I really hope this rage virus wears off soon," Wally said nervously. _I hope._

M'gaan continued to scream and wail as if she was having a night terror like Robin. When her uncle tried to put a hand on her shoulder and calm her, he let out a surprised gasp and jumped back, clutching his head.

"Her emotions...they're so strong...and those images she's seeing...the Light must've pumped those into her mind..." he muttered.

Still screaming in terror, M'gaan suddenly telekinetically lifted up Jinx and slammed her into Red Arrow.

"Hey! What gives!" he yells indignantly at the Martian, but she didn't seem to hear.

"Miss M! Superboy! Please!" Wally pleaded. "It's us! We're not your enemy!"

"It's alright! We're not the Light!" Artemis yelled. "You're not going to be tortured anymore!"

Superboy let out another bellow and shot heat vision at Wonder Woman. She managed to deflect it with her bracelet, but it distracted her. Superboy inhaled, drawing in a deep breath, and let an enormous blow that sent almost everyone flying across the room.

With a pained yelp, Wally went flying out of his bed and crashed right into Wonder Woman, and she lost the grip on her magical lasso.

Now free, Superboy flew up towards the ceiling and didn't slow down, crashing through the layers of steel. Superman pursued after him.

"Superboy! That's enough!" he yelled, but he knew it was hopeless. With the rage virus already inside of him complete with some lingering anger issues, Superboy had lost all rational thought. He really had now become a living weapon, with no mind of his own, only with a thirst to destroy everything in his path.

Superman grabbed Superboy's foot and swung him around into the ocean. Connor managed to stop right before he hit the water and angrily flew right up to Superman and brought his fist back, ready to punch Superman in the face.

Superman dodged and counterattacked, delivering a hook to his face. Unfortunately, this only seemed to make him angrier. He lunged forward in a flurry of punches so fast that Superman couldn't dodge them in time. Superboy's strength now seemed as equal as his own. Superboy then grabbed him by the cape and threw him right back into Mount Justice, crashing through the layers of steel again.

Everyone yelped as Superman crashed painfully onto the floor. Starfire bravely shot her starbolts at him while Raven threw large, heavy objects across the room towards him.

Superboy bobbed and weaved through the mass of missiles as he grappled with Wonder Woman, trying to punch her in the face.

Rocket then conjured up another force field around Superboy, who let out a roar of fury as he continuously punched the bubble. But of course, he only made it stronger.

"Phew, that's a relief," sighed Beastboy.

But he spoke too soon. Rocket yelped in surprise as M'gaan suddenly tackled her from behind, wrestling with her. She seemed terrified, not really quite sure what she was doing.

"M'gaan that's enough!" Her uncle pulled her off Rocket, but it was too late; the force field was gone. Superboy let out another roar of rage as he tackled J'onn, causing him to drop his niece.

"Mlac nwod!" Zatanna commanded, but the words had no effect.

M'gaan's eyes glowed, as though she was speaking telepathically with her friends , Wally, Zatanna, and Rocket, all let out yelps of pain as they clutched their heads.

"M'gaan, what are you... how..stop! Ow!" Artemis cried, crouching over, her head between her legs.

M'gaan only intensified what she was doing. The foursome shrieked as they felt horrible, gruesome images forced into their minds.

"That's enough!" J'onn's eyes glowed himself, and M'gaan let out a gasp, before falling unconscious once more.

"What's going on? M'gaan has never reached that level of telepathic torture before!" Wally groaned. "What did the Light do to her?"

Suddenly Superboy let out a shriek of pain, clutching his head as though there was a high-pitched frequency that only he could hear, except that Superman and Wolf didn't seem affected.

"What's happening to him?" Roy asked in alarm. "Is Luthor communicating with him again or what?"

"If he would, I would've been able to hear it!" Superman shouted over the racket.

Superboy finally quieted, his head slumped over, panting.

"...Superboy?" Superman asked tentatively, his hand reaching out.

Superboy's head shot up again, except that his eyes were glowing red, and not from his heat vision. He was somehow even more angrier, and more stronger, as he furiously punched the floor that created a mini earthquake that caused everyone to lose their balance.

"Kill...kill...KILL!" he bellowed as he flew right at Superman, his eyes burning with rage.


End file.
